HISTORY 



INDEPENDENCE HALL; 



F R 51 THE 



dtaiiicst IJeiiob k % ^rtscnt €m. 



EMBRACING 



BIOGRAPHIES OF THE IMMORTAL SIGNERS OF THE 
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, 



HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF THE SACRED RELICS 

PRESERVED IN THAT SANCTUARY OF 

AMERICAN FREEDOM. 



BY D. \V. BE LISLE. 



Patriots! go— to that proud hall repair ! 
The sacred relics which are treasured there 
With tonguelcss eloquence shall tell 
Of those who for their country fell. 



■<^K 







PHILADELPHIA: 
JAMES CHALLEN & SON, 

NEW YORK: SHELDON & CO.— BOSTON: BROWN, TAGGARD & CHASE. 

CINCINNATI: RICKEY, MALLORY & CO. 

•CHICAGO: S. C. GRIGGS & CO. 

1859. 






Eutoied accordiug to Act of Congress, in the year 18^9, by 

D. W. BELISLE, 

111 the Clerk's Otfice of tlie District Court of the United States, iu aud for tlio 
Eastern District of PeuusylvaQiH. 



rnii.ADKLpniA: 

STKRKOTVPED BY (iEOKGE CHARLES, 

607 Sausoin Street. 



HON. MILLARD FILLMORE, 

EX-PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, 

WHOSE UNTIRING ZEAL AND EFFORTS IN PROMOTING 

THE NATIONAL WELFARE, 

AIJE GRATEFULLY APPRECIATED BY THE DESCENDANTS 

OF THOSE PATRIOTS WHO MADE 

INDEPENDENCE HALL 

THE SHRINE OF AMERICAN FREEDOM, 

THIS VOLUME 

IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 

BY THE 

AUTHOR. 
(3) 



LIST OF PORTRAITS IN INHEPENDENCE HALL. 



1. William Penn— Born October 14, 16U— died July 30, 1718. He was proprie- 
tor of Pennsylvania and founder of Philadelphia. 

2. John Hancock— Born 1737— died 179.3. He was President of the Congres.s that 
adopted the Declaration of Independence. 

3. RoBKRT Morris- The great American Financier, and signer of the Declaration 
of Americau Independence. 

4. Gex. Joseph Reed— President of Penn.'^ylvania from 177S until his death in 
17S1. 

5. Thomas Jefferson- Born 174.3— died July 4, 1S23. He was the author of the 
Declaration of Independence. 

6. Dr. John Witherspoon— Born 1722. He was President of Princeton College, 
and a descendant of the Rev. John Knox. 

7. Philip Livingston — Born January lo, 1716 — died June 12, 177S. He was one 
of the signers of our Liberty. 

8. Richard Hrnry Lee— Born 1722— died 1791. He was a member of the Con- 
vention that framed the Constitution of the United States. 

9. Samuel H[JNT[Ngton — Governor of Connecticut. He succeeded John Jay as 
President of Congress. 

10. Charles Carroll, of Carrollton — He was the last one who signed the Declara- 
tion of Independence — died in 1832. 

11. Francis Hopkinson— born 1738— died 1791. He was Judge of the Admiralty 
Court of the United States. 

12. Samuel Chase — Born 1741 — died ISll. He was Associate Justice of the Supreme 
Court of the United States. 

13. Thomas McKean — Governor and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Penn- 
sylvania. 

14. Marquis De Lafayette — Born 1757 — died 1834. He became early enlisted in 
the cause of American Independence. 

1j. Dr. Benjamin Rush — Born 174.) — died 1813. A celebrated Physician, and 
member of Congress. 

16. John Adams — Born 17.3.5 — died 1826. A member of Congress, and a most 
zealous patriot of INIassachusetts. 

17. Hernando Cortez — B.jrn 14S.J — died 1o.j4. He was the Conqueror of Mexico, 
and an able Spanish commander. 

18. CoNSTANTiNE Francis Cha.ssbouf — An eminent French writer and traveler. 
He was Count do Voluey. 

19. Robert Fulton — Born 1760 — died ISlo. He was the great inventor of steamboat 
navigation. 

20. Gen. Count Rochambault — One of the French generals who served in the 
American Revolution. 

21. CoL. James Wilkinson — A Major-General in the American Army, and a distin- 
guished patriot. 

22. Robert Wharton— One of the Mayors of Philadelphia. He was a highly 
respectable citizen. 

(5) 



6 LIST OF'PORTKAITS IN INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

23. Admiral Pkxx — lie Avas the father of William Pcmi, who founded the City of 

I'hih.dclphia. 
21. CicNERAL Du PoRTAiL — Au oflicei" of distinction in the American Revolution. 

lie was arrenchraau. 
2.5. Capt. NrcHor.AS Biddli; — An eminent naval commander during the Eevolutioa 

—was killed in 177S. 

26. Cor,. Dk Cambray— Wa3 one of the French officers who .served the cause of 
Aniericim IndeiJondence. 

27. Gex. Bkn.jamix Lincoln- — Born 1733 — died ISIO. He was a General in the 
army of the Revolution. 

2S. John PA(ii- — One of the Governors of Virginia — Avas in the first Congress 
under the Constitution. 

29. Capt. IMerriwkather Lewis — Was Governor of the Territory of Loui.siaua, 
and a Captain in the United States army. 

30. Christopher GAUsnEX — Born in 1721 — died in 180.5. He was the originator 
of "Liberty Tree" in America. 

31. Col. Samuel S.viith — Defender of Fort Mifflin, on Mud Island, near Philadelphia. 

Was Senator in Congress. 

32. Col. John Ea(;kr Howard— Governor of Maryland, and an officer at the battle 
of the Cowpens. 

S3. CoL. Hexry Lee — Commander of the " Loe Legion," Governor of Virginia, and 

author of the " War of the Revolution." 
34. Chevalier de la Luzerxe — Was the .second Minister .sent from France to this 

country. 
3j. John Dickex.---ox — President of Pennsylvania in 17S2, subsequently of Delaware. 

An able writer. 

36. Thayexdanega — The celebrated Indian Chief, Brandt. He was noted for his 
intrigue at the massacre of Miuisink. 

37. Alexander Hamilton — Financier, and patriot, Washington's Aid-de-camp. 
He was killed by Aaron Burr. 

38. Charles Thomson — Secretary of Congress during the Revolution. He was a 
devoted patriot to the country. 

39. Timothy Pickering — An officer in the Revolutionary army, Postmaster-General, 
Secretary of War, of State, and a Senator. 

40. Commodore Hazlewood — A Revolutionary Naval officer, who won for himself 
great distinction. 

41. John Andrew Shclze — Was one of the early Governors of Pennsylvania, and 
a highly esteemed citizen. 

42. Red Jacket — The Indian name of this chief was La-go-you-wat-ha. He is well 
known in Indian history. 

43. Dr. Benjamin Franklin — The Printer, Philosopher, Politician, and advocate 
of Independence. 

44. Col. Stephen H. Long — Commander of two Exploring Expeditions to the sources 
of the Mississippi and Rocky Mountains. 

45. Peytox Randolph — President of Congress in 1774-.5, an eminent Lawyer and 

Statesman of Virginia. 

46. William Moore — President of the State of Pennsylvania in 17S1. He was a 
man of rare abilities. 

47. GiiN. Nathaniel Green — Commander-in-chief of the Southern Army, during 
the War of Independence. 

48. Gen. Jame.s BI. Varnum — An early member of Congress from Rhode Island 
and a Major-General in the Revolution. 

49. Dr. Robert Hare — A Professor in the IMedical Department of the University of 
Pennsylvania. An eminent chemist. 

50. Gen. Charles Lee — A Major-General in the American army, and rendered 
essential aid in tlie cause of Liberty. 

fil. Henry Laurkns — President of Congress in 1776. Minister to Holland iu 1779. 
Signed the treaty of peace iu 17S2. 



LIST UF rOKTKAlTS IN INDErENDKNCE HALL. 7 

52. IloBERT Morris — One of the sternest and most efficient patriots in the War of 
Independence. 

53. Albkrt G.4.I.LATIX — A writer of i^rofound acquirements aud vigor. His f:!mo 
is universal. 

5i. Capt. Jame.? Biddi.e — Was a native of Phihadelphia, aiul distinguished himself 
in the war of 1S12. 

55. Com. Stephkn Decatur — Entered the navy in 179S. He captured the British 
frigate Macedonian the same year. 

56. Col. j^atiianiel Eamsay — An officer of the Eevolution, Collector of tlie Port 
of Baltimore, and a true patriot. 

57. John Bartuam — .An eminent botanist, naturalist, etc. He wrote a good work 
on Ornithology. JS^ative of Philadelphia. 

5S. Baron Frederick William Steuben — A Major-General in the American army 
during the Ptevolution. 

59. Gen. Arthur St. Clair — Governor of the ]S'orth-Westera Territory, and Com- 
inauder-in-chicf of that division of the army. 

60. Chevalier Gerard — Was the first Jlinister from Franco to this country. He 
was greatly esteemed. 

61. Col. Henry Lee — Of the Eevolutionary army. The American historian is 
familiar with his deeds. 

02. Gen. Artemus Ward — A ]Major-General in the army — a member of Congress 
before aud after the adoption of the Constitution. 

63. Timothy Matlack— A patriot of Philadelphia who never held an office. Ho 
was very active in public affairs. 

64. Charle.s TH0M.S0N — Was Secretary of Congress when the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence was adopted. 

65. Francis John — A French Field-Marshal, and author of a work eu titled 
"Travels in iS'orth America." 

66. Col. David Humphreys — One of Washington's Aid-de-camps. He was a 
distinguished patriot from Connecticut. 

67. Gen. Laclan McIntosh — A member of Congress from Georgia in 1781. An 
officer in the Revolution. 

6S. Eev. Bishop White — Was the Chaplain iu Congress when Independence was 

agreed upon and declared. 
60. Mrs. Robert Morris — The wife of the great Financier, and daughter of Col. 

White. Her name was Mary. ■c^ jfz .; Ct- 

70. David Rittenhouse — A celebrated Mathematician. He was once Director of 
the Mint, and Treasurer of Penusylvauia. 

71. Lady Martha Washington — Wife of Gen. George Washington. She was a 
most estimable lady. 

72. Gen. George Washington — This is a striking portrait of the Father of his 
country. The frame was takesi from the frigate Constitution. 

73. Rev. Henry Muhlenberg — A profound Naturalist of Lancaster, Pa., and a 
skillful botanist. 

71. Com. David Porter — An officer of the United States Navy. He avou enviable 
distinction by his bravery. 

75. Gen. William S.mallwood — Was Governor of Maryland, and a warm supporter 
of the American cause. 

76. Gen. John Armstrong— Was Secretary of War under James Madison in 1S13. 
He was greatly distinguished. 

77. Baron De Kalb — Served in the French armies forty-two years. Sided with 
the Amei-icans. Was killed at Camden, S. C, 177S. 

78. Dr. Wm. Shippen — One of the fouuders of the University of Pennsylvania, and 
an early professor in that iustitut'on. 

79. Gen. Andrew Jackson— Born 17G7— died 1815. Was the 7th President of tho 
United States, and a military hero. 

80. Brig. -General Z. M. Pike— Fell at the capture of Vork, Upper Canada, iu 
1S13. He was an accomplished disciplinarian. 



8 LIST OF PORTRAITS IX INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

SI. JoxATHA.v Bayard Smith— Was ii Colonel in the army at Trenton, Princeton, 

and Braudywiue. An exemplary man. 
82. Gov. Wir.i.TAM Pixley— Governor of renn.sylvauia, and Uaited States Senator. 

lie was an able oflicer. 
S3. Col. Tenxaxt— Served our country's cause— went back to France, and 

returned as a minister here. 
8-1. Ge.v. Daxiel Morgax— Rendered efficient service to his country daring the 

Revolutionary struggle. 

85. Gov. SiMox SxYDER — He Avas Governor of Pennsylvania three terms. IIo 
gave general satisfaction. 

86. WiLiJAM FixDi.EV- Was the author of the history of the "Whiskey Insurrec- 
tion," a member of Congress from Pennsylvania. 

87. Gex. IIexry Dearborx — A gallant officer of the Revolution, Secretary of War, 
and a Major-General in 1S12. 

88. Elias BoiTDixoT- President of Congress in 17S2. lie succeeded Rittouhouse 
as Director of the Mint. 

89. Dr. Johx IIaxson — Was President of the Confederacy. lie was a vigorous and 
energetic patriot and statesman. 

90. RuFus KiXG— Was a member of Congress in 1781, also Minister to England, 
and a man of superior abilities. 

91. Gex. Hexry Kxox — An officer in the army of the Revolution, and Secretary 
of War in 17S9. He was a brave general. 

92. Coi,. T. Forrest — Was distinguished for his bravery during the severe contest 
for independence. 

93. Gex. Oriio Willia.M3 — By his intrepid military feats obtained the rank of 
Brigadier-General in the American Army. 

9-1. Gex. Sumpter — Was a native of South Carolina, and enthusiastic in the cause 
of the Colonies. 

95. Gex. William Clark — Was Governor of the Mis.souri Territory, and Surveyor- 
General of Public Lands at St. Louis. 

96. Gex. Horatio Gates — The hero of Saratoga. He was a very useful officer 
in the country's service. 

97. Dr. David Ramsay — Member of Congress from South Carolina for several 
years. Autlior of the American Revolution. 

98. ConxKT Real — Was a distinguished officer in the Struggle for American 
Independence. 

99. Capt. .To-snuA Barnay— An officer in the Navy during the Revolution, of great 
forethought and vigor. 

100. Com.maxder Johx Rodgers — Whose brilliant exploits in the N.ivy won for 
him an enviable reputation. 

101. Joseph Helster — Governor of Pennsylvania. Was a very able administrator 
of tlie office. 

102. Capt. Johx Paul Joxes — The celebrated Naval liero, who performed many 
brilliant exploits. 

103. Gex. Rkutard Moxtgo.mery — Born 1737 — fell in the attack on Quebec, Decem- 
ber l:l, 177.>. 

101. Gex. Joseph Warre.x — This distinguished man fell at tlie battle of Banker's 
Hill, during that struggle. 

105. Gex. Tho.mas Mifflix— A warm patriot, a Governor of Pennsylvania, and a 
pure statesman. 

106. William Rush — Was a soldier in Washington's army, and won many distin- 
guished laurels. 

107. Hexry Clay. 

108. Triumphal Arch. 

109. Pexx's Tri;aty. 

110. Wm. WiiriE. 

111. LOKl) STK1!!,1N«. 

112. Guv. iil'KlMHT. 



PREFACE. 



Independence Hall ! How impressive are the associations 
that cluster around this sacred Temple of our national freedom ! 
They inspire the thoughtful patriot with veneration — they 
enhance devotion to the institutions of our country. As we 
gaze upon the portraits of those stern old heroes who declared 
that " these united Colonies arc, and of right ought to be, free 
an'd independent States," our minds go back to, and are busy 
with, events that signalized the " times that tried men's souls." 
In the reflective mirror of retrospection we behold them in solemn 
council deliberating upon the momentous issues that called them 
together — we hear the thunders of their eloquence ringing around 
the walls of this consecrated chamber — -we see their eyes flash 
with earnest desire for liberty, and their brows lower with con- 
tempt at the aggressive despotism of Kiiig George. These silent 
representatives of the past still speak to us in unmistakable 
patriotism, whilp -vye pay homage to the Cradle of Amerjca^ 
Ijjberty, bidding us preserve and keep sacred the costly inherir 
tance bequeathed by them. "When we consider the sacrifices 
they made — the trials they endured — the privations they suflTerei] 
— the struggles through which they passed — and remember that 
they were passing those fiery ordeals to secure the blessings of 
independence for 'ifs— how pan we look upon their sublime 
features without properly respecting their eff'orts ? AYe should 
feel that these patriots of the Eevolution scrutinize our thoughts 
and actions from the canvas upon which they are made immor- 
tal. The venerable appearance of the IJall itself has an awe- 
inspiring sanctity about it that makes us realize we are treading 
hallowed ground — while the carefully arranged relics and memen- 
toes excite our inquiry and deeply iiiterest our thoughts. Everv 

(9) 



10 PREFACE. 

thing about the room teems witli liistorical reminiscence?. 
Every relic in "this sacred Fane has some historical peculiarity 
worthy of our profound veneration. Yet, thousands upon thou- 
sands visit Independence Hall — pass hours in looking at and 
examining the relics there, more from idle curiosity than other- 
wise, and consequently return to their homos little better versed 
in the histories connected with them than they were before. 
The principal reason for this is, they can obtain nothing to aid 
them in acquiring the information they may need in this respect. 
For the purpose, therefore, of obviating this disadvantage, and, 
in order to furnish an authoritative history of Independence 
JIall, with accurate descriptions of all its contents, we have 
placed before the public, in this work, the result of many years' 
labor among the dusty records of past incidents respecting In- 
dependence Hall. We have not sought to make it a mere Guide- 
Book. — the magnitude of interests which all feel in this, the 
Mecca of our country's greatness, forbade us adopting such a 
plan — our object has been to give it a high-toned national char- 
acter ; to place in the hands of our patriotic countrymen facts 
connected with the causes that led to the prosperous condition 
of our free and happy land— and to inspire a deeper love for the 
sacred Temple wherein our nation's infancy was cradled and 
defended. In the prosecution of this arduous' task, we have 
consulted sufficient standard authorities to give our work reliable 
accuracy in every particular, and we return our thanks to such 
friends as have aided us— likewise are we indebted to Mr. Lossing, 
for many facts •concerning the signers of the Declaration of In- 
dependence. The places which beneficent spirits have sanctified 
remain hallowed to all time ; and, while M'C contemplate the 
Hall where the actors in the great drama of the Eevolution 
performed their most stupendous work, we feel the force of the 
language of Horace, Privatus illis census erat hrevis, covivuine 
magnum, and bow uieckly in adoration to their exalted virtues. 

IX W, BELISLE. 

Camden, N. J. 



CONTENTS 



Introductory, 13 

I. — IncGntive Associations 27 

11. — Primitive Settlers and Public Edifices, 37 

in.—" The Old State House," 50 

IV, — Independence Square, GO 

y._The Old State Hon?c Bell, 81 

VI. — Washington's Statue, 80 

vii. — xilexander Hamilton, 96 

VIII. — Convention of 1776, Ill 

X. — The Declaration of IndeiuMidence, 118 

X. — Hemarks-on the ^c^ration, 128 

XI. — John Hancock, . . . . . . > 134 

XII. — Thomas Jefferson, .■.•<\ 143 

XIII. — Eichard Stockton, * 154 

XIV.— Dr. Josiah Bartlett, 160 

XV, — Samuel Adams,. 165 

XVI. — William Whipple, 170 

XVII. — John Adams, ^r^r 174 

xviii. — William Huntington, 181 

XIX.— Oliver Wolcolt, 186 

XX —Robert Treat Paine, 1 91 

XXI. — Philip Livingston 196 

XXII. — Francis Lewis, 201 

XXIII. — John Witherspoon, 206 

XXIV. — Robert Morris,*.'.'. 212 

XXV. — ^Elbridge Gerry, 220 

XXVI. — Benjamin Rush 226 

11 



12 CONTENTS. 

XXVII. — iJcnjamin Franklin,, 232 

XXVIII. — Francis Hopkinson 242 

XXIX. — Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, 245 

XXX. — John Ilart — Abraham Clark — John Morton — 

George Clymer, 250 

XXXI. — James Smith — George Taylor — James Wilson — 

George Ross, 262 

XXXII. — C;i.'sar Eodney — George Read — Thomas M'Koan 

— Samuel Chase — Thomas Stone — AVm. Paca... 272 
XXXIII. — William Floyd — Lewis Morris — William Wil- 
liams — Matthew Thornton — Stephen Hopkins — 

William Ellery^Roger Sherman, 286 

XXXIV. — George Wythe — Richard Henry liCe — Benjamin 
Harrison — Thomas Nelson — Francis Lightfoot 

Lee — Carter Braxton, 303 

XXXV. — Edward Rutledge — Thomas Hay ward— Thomas 

Lynch, Jr.— Arthur Middleton, 310 

XXXVI. — Burton Gynnett — Lyman Hall — George Walton, 331 
XXXVII. — William Hooper — Joseph Hewes — John Pcnn,, 341 

XXXVIII. — Washington's Pew, 350 

XXXIX, — Franklin's Desk, 357 

XL. — A Singularly Historical Chair, 361 

XLi. — The Triumphal Arch, 365 

xLii. — The Bible in 1776, 370 

xLiii. — The Charter Oak, 377 

xLiv. — Old Documents, ; ; . ; ; 382 

XLV. — Portrait of AVashington woven in Silk, and other 

interesting Mementoes, ; 385 

XLVi. — Conclusion, <, . 390 



INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 



INTRODUCTORY. 

*'Our country's welfare is our first concern : 
He who promotes tliat best, best proves his duty." 

Harvard^s Regulus. 

" The places sanctified by beneficent spirits," says 
Schiller, " remain liallowed to all time" — they are still 
sacred, thongh invaded by robbers. They are in- 
vested with associations calculated to inspire the 
thoughtful v/ith sentiments of veneration — to awaken 
feelings of patriotism — to strengthen researches after 
historical incidents, and to revitalize heroes and states- 
men whose actions gave character to the scenes of 
their exaltation, and the ages in which they flourished. 
Thoughts obtrude on the reflective mind, and peculiar 
emotions swell the heart, as sensitively refined patriots 
and scholars contemplate fields whereon heroes strug- 
gled, and on which victories have been achieved. To 
such the powers of local association address themselves 
with awful impressiveness. It was this that led 
Cicero, when he visited Athens, to exclaim : " Shall I 
2 (13) 



14 INDEPENDENCP] HALL: 

ascribe it to a law of our nature, or to a delusive habit 
of mind, that, when we look upon the scenes which 
illustrious men of old frequented, our feelings are 
more deeply excited than even by hearing the record 
of their deeds, or perusing the works of their genius ? 
Such are the emotions I now experience, when I think 
that here Plato was accustomed to discourse; these 
gardens around me not only recall the idea of that 
sage to my memory, but place, as it were, his very 
form before my eyes. Here, too, Speusippus taught — 
here Xenocrates — here his disciple Polemon : this is 
the very seat he used to occupy." 

Similar emotions seized the feelings of Dr. Johnson 
when he arrived at Icolmkill, in his ''Tour to the 
Western Islands." A retrospective view of the inci- 
dents which had occurred around him in ages fixr 
remote, elicited the beautiful sentiment: "AYe are 
now treading upon that illustrious Island which was 
once the luminary of the Caledonian regions, whence 
savage clans and roving barbarians derived the bene- 
fits of knowledge and the blessings of religion. To 
abstract the mind from all local emotion would be 
impossible if it were endeavored, and foolish if it were 
possible. Whatever withdraws us from the power 
of the senses — whatever makes the past, the distant, 
or the future, predominate over the present, advances 
us in the dignity of thinking beings. Far from me 
and from my friends be such frigid philosophy as may 
conduct us, indifferent and unmoved, over any ground 
which has been dignified by wisdom, bravery, or 
virtue. That man is little to be envied, whose patri- 
otism would not gain force on the plain of Marathon, 
or whose piety would not glow warmer among the 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 15 

ruins of lona." Associations sucli as these have been 
surrounded with irresistible attractions to the culti- 
vated and reflective of all ageS; and the best writers 
of antiquity have feelingly alluded to them. " They 
snatch the soul away in rapture, as if it had already 
traversed the tomb, and on the bosom of immensity 
imbue it with the inexhaustible glories which Jehovah 
has diffused through' the universe." Germanicus 
Avandered amidst the ruins of Athens, and looked with 
veneration upon its moldering architectural piles; 
Atticus felt an undefined reverence when he paused 
among its tombs and monuments ; in the swelling 
emotions of patriotic zeal, Julian shed tears on quit- 
ting its groves and bowers; and so awe-inspiring 
were the associations that came gushing to the 
memory of Leo Allatries, that he wept over the ruins 
of a house once in the possession of Homer. And 
our own great statesman of the North, Daniel Web- 
ster, felt its power when he exclaimed: ''We shall 
not stand unmoved on the shore of Ptymouth, while 
the sea continues to wash it ; nor will our brethren in 
another and ancient colony''^' forget the place of its 
first establishment, till their river shall cease to floAV 
by it. No vigor of youth, no maturity of manhood, 
will lead the nation to forget the spots where its in- 
fancy was cradled and defended." Again: in the 
work De Finihiis of Cicero, is the following remarkable 
passage : — " Often, when I enter the Senate house, the 
shades of Scipio, of Cato, and of L£eliu.s, and in par- 
ticular, of my venerable grandfather, rise to my im- 
agination." All great and refined intellects experi- 

* Jamestowu. 



16 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

encG similar emotions, wlien meditating upon the same 
or similar important and thought -inspiring localities. 
Hence the remark of Southey : '^ He Avhose heart is 
not excited upon the spot which a martyr has sancti- 
fied by his sufferings, or at the grave of one who has 
largely benefited mankind, must be more inferior to 
the multitude by his moral, than he can possibly be 
raised above them in his intellectual nature." 

Almost every great advantage which mankind have 
derived even from science and education, had an 
origin in some local incident. Gibbon informs us 
that, '' it was in the church of St. Maria cVAra Coeli, 
on the Capitoline Hill, at Eome, on the fifteenth of 
October, 1764, as he sat musing amidst the ruins of 
the Capitol, while the barefooted friars were singing 
vespers, the i^lea of writing the decline and fall of the 
city first started to his mind." The thoughtful 
traveler, who perambulates the subterranean streets 
of Pompeii, is filled with associations of the most 
thrilling character. He remembers that that city was 
well stricken in years when the Light of divine truth 
first dawned upon the world, and the " Sun of Right- 
eousness arose with healing in his wings" — that it is a 
city which lay entombed for two thousand years, while 
nations passed and repassed over its monuments — and 
that for centuries its sculptured figures, its domes and 
palaces remained in a well-preserved condition be- 
neath the surface of the earth. He remembers, too, 
that, within its Avails, along its avenues and streets, 
the ever-surging tide of humanity, Avith all its hopes 
and aspirations, its joys, its sorrows, once swept Avith 
unrestrained hilarity, unconscious that a doom of 
fearful magnitude impended over their city ! There. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 17 

too, he sees the temple, with its Doric columns yet 
standing, its walls painted with emblems commemo- 
rative of the services of their deity, the sacred vessels, 
lamps, and table of Isis still remaining. And while 
he is contemplating these monuments of the past, 
and memory hurries backward in its rapid gyra- 
tions, he might exclaim as a cotemporary of Augus- 
tus : " I greet thee, oh my country ! My dwelling 
is the only spot upon the earth which has preserved 
its form ; an immunity extending even to the smallest 
objects of ray aftections. Here is my couch, there are 
my favorite authors. My paintings, also, are still 
fresh as when the ingenious artist spread them over 
my walls. Let us traverse the town ; let us visit the 
drama. I recognize the spot where I joined for the 
first time in the plaudits given to the fine scenes of 
Terence and Euripides. Eome is but one vast 
museum ; Pompeii is a living antiquity." He likewise 
recalls the sad but truthful picture which Pliny gives 
in regard to the destruction of its inhabitants. ''A 
darkness suddenly overspread the country — not like 
the darkness of a moonless night, but like that of a 
closed room, in which the light is of a sudden ex- 
tinguished — women screamed^ children moaned, men 
cried; here children were anxiously calling their 
parents, and there parents were seeking their chil- 
dren, or husbands their wives ; all recognizing 
each other only by their cries. Many wished for 
death, from the fear of dying. Mauy called on the 
gods for assistance ; others despaired of their exist- 
ence, and thought this the last, eternal night of the 
tvorld. Actual dangers Avere magnified by unreal 
terrors. The earth continued to shake, and men, half 
2^^ 



18 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

distracted; to reel about, exaggerating their own fears 
and those of others, hy terrifying predictions." All 
these come up rapidly succeeding each other in living 
realities, and invest that city, that awe-inspiring mau- 
soleum of antiquity, with associations too hallowed to 
be resisted. 

Similar emotions imperceptibly steal over the soul, 
as we wander among the ruins of Athens ; for there 
we read, on her sculptured columns, her original glory 
as the mistress of Greece, and remember the period 
when she stood forth a towering prodigy of perfection 
to the gaze of an admiring Avorld. What Greece was 
in her power — what Tyre appeared in the perfection 
of her greatness — mighty Athens was in the days of 
Pericles. Then it was that she, with her three ports, 
the lashing of the waves of which had so often blended 
with the vesper-chants, connected by her celebrated 
walls, formed one vast enclosure of ponderous fortifi- 
cations. The Acropolis arose in her midst, a massive 
rock, upon the summit of which were collected some 
of the noblest monuments of Grecian taste — rearing 
itself in lofty splendor toward the heavens, "gleaming 
with its crest of columns on the will of man," as 
though they had been placed upon ''a mount of 
diamonds." It was there that the Arts aud Sciences 
were not only cradled, but were carried to as great a 
height of perfection as was ever known in the ancient 
world. In a word, it was a sanctuary of the Arts, the 
residence of the gods, a place of sepulchres, altars and 
shrines for sacred relics, '' and peopled with forms that 
mocked the eternal dead in marble immortality." 
Peaceful olives crowned its outskirts. There, too* 
arose the princely Propylon, the splendid Erectheum, 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 19 

and the lofty Odeum, exhibiting in perfect unity that 
simplicity, grandeur and magnificence to which only 
Grecian arts and Grecian taste ever attained. And 
there arose the sublime Parthenon, affecting the admi- 
ration of the astonished beholder as a production of 
the Deity rather than the art of man — a mighty fabric 
of sculpture, in which the human form shone deified 
by paganism, as the virtues do by Christianity. In 
her silent halls were assembled the poets, gods and 
goddesses, heroes and heroines, " while beauty in 
eternal sleep, seemed dreaming of herself" It also 
contained the statue of Minerva, in which the sculptor 
appears to have made the immortal spirit of the god- 
dess speak through the cold and lifeless marble. And 
there was the Areopagus, where were the seats of the 
judges — the arena within which the Apostle Paul 
entered, and in his wonted eloquence proclaimed to 
Greece's wisest sons the only and true God, and at the 
sound of whose voice, even the gods themselves 
trembled ! Opposite this was the scene of the patri- 
otic exertions of the Athenian orator ; a rock was 
the hema upon which Demosthenes stood while ad- 
dressing the populace in those fervid strains of 
eloquence — 

''That sliook the Arsenal, and fulmined o'er Greece, 
To Macedon and Artaxerxes' throne." 

Athens sat then amid her vine-clad hills and olive- 
wilds, a sceptred queen. The nodding promontories 
and blue hills, the cloud-like mountains and lonely 
valleys of Greece, smiled beneath the genial rays of 
her disseminating influences. But, alas ! how the 
mighty are fallen ! The birth-place of heroes, and tlio 



20 INDEPENDEXCE HALL : 

home of bards, is among the places that live only in 
history and monuments. Fire and embattled hosts 
have spread wide their withering desolations over this 
once fair city, blotting out the glowing footsteps of 
her ancient greatness. Time has trampled into dust 
her columned piles, and "like a famished beast of 
prey, satiated his lust to sickness upon beauty's corse." 
The Turk now roams lawlessly among her 1-uins, 
while the spirit of beauty broods over her fallen 
grandeur. Where once rose the fount of wisdom and 
sounded the wings of power, ignorance and weakness 
noAV prevail. As the roaring and tumbling torrent 
falls from its dazzling Alpine height, so ruin's current 
has drowned her towering greatness. '^She is now a 
defenseless urn — the abode of gods whose shrines no 
lono'er burn." Slaves are in her senate, and besfo'ars 
compose her nobility, while the stars that once illu- 
mined her halls of wisdom shine through their rents 
of ruin. Gloom — the gloom of desolation — has let 
down her mantling pall, and broods over a nation's 
sepulchre. As the moon lights up her broken statues, 
they appear like pallid phantoms steadfastly watching 
the current of Time that proved their ruin. The old 
olive trees which shaded the borders of the Acropolis, 
now wave in the midnight shade — a noble wreck in 
ruinous perfection. The spirits of her departed great 
ones seem to mourn her desolation. ''The stork 
plumes his wings upon a shattered shaft of the Acrop- 
olis, while the colonade of Lysicrates stands an 
isolated relic of her former grandeur." The night 
winds pipe her requiem — hooting owls and the hissing- 
viper chant her funereal obsequies. In truth, Athens 
stands bereft of all her glory, the weeping Niobe and 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 21 

the Lost Paradise of Greece ! Yet, honor decks her 
heroes' dust, and ruined splendor still lingers around 
her. 

Such are the melancholy reflections suggested by 
the local associations of Athens. We might profitably 
explore those of Eome, Palmyra, Tyre, and indeed 
every other renowned city of antiquity ; but we turn 
to our own country to examine its sacred relics and 
shrines ; for here 

" A spirit liangs, 
Beautiful region ! o'er tliy towns and farms, 
Statues and temi^les, and memorial tombs." 

Deeply did the poet feel the power of such influences 
when he penned this eloquent comparative inter- 
rogatory : 

"Oil, if tlie young enthusiast bears 

O'er weary waste and sea, tlie stone 
That crumbled from tlie Forum's stairs, 

Or round tlie Parthenon ; 
If olive boughs from some wild tree, 

Hung over old Thermopylse : 
If leaflets from some hero's tomb. 

Or moss-wreath torn from ruins hoary, 
Or faded flowers whose sisters bloom 

On fields renowned in story ; 
Or fragments from the Alhambra's crest, 

Or the gray roc-k by Druids blest : 
If it be true that things like these 

To heart and eye bright visions bring— 
Shall not far holier memories 

To these memorials cling ? 
Which need no mellowing mist of time 

To hide the crimson stains of crime !" 

In contemplating the progress and greatness of our 



22 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

own nation^ tlie imagination is carried back to the 
" times that tried men's souls," and the scenes of 
forensic and physical struggle. Thus, while we stand 
upon the '■ Rock of Plymouth," the history and suf- 
ferings of the Pilgrims rush impetuously on the 
memory, and we remember, that, it was when the 
dark woods and dreary mountains were covered with 
snow — the gushing brooks and bounding streams con- 
gealed and fettered with ice — and cerements of deso- 
lation appeared spread over the earth, this Rock — 
this Mecca of Freedom — was consecrated to immor- 
tality by the landing, the prayers, the thankfulness, 
and the sufferings of that little band! Their feet 
made the first impressions of civilization on that bleak 
and sterile coast — their prayers were the first oblations 
offered from that dismal shore, and their tears were 
the first of human sorrow shed upon that frozen soil I 
The country around them was wild and forbidding ; 
scenes new and strange were presented to their view, 
and amidst circumstances so pregnant with discour- 
agement, many an anxious thou.ght did they send 
back to the country they had left, and many a wish 
to return involuntarily took possession of their minds. 
We almost see them engaged in constructing rude 
huts to shelter themselves from the hoAvling winds, 
and know that, in these miserable and wretched 
hovels, those of them who survived passed that 
fearful winter. But suffering and death had not 
been idle among them ! Before the Avinter closed, 
and spring, with her wild buds and flowers had re- 
turned, half their number had perished by continued 
suffering and the privation of those comforts, so neces- 
sary to health and life which they liad been accus- 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 23 

tomed to enjoy! The participants in those scenes 
have long since passed away, but the records of their 
deeds remain to invest the spot of their exaltation 
with thrilling associations. ''We cannot stand un- 
moved on the shore of Plymouth, while the sea con- 
tinues to wash it ;" the spot is consecrated to memory 
by endearing recollections. The work of Science and 
Art are now busy there — massive columns and im- 
penetrable walls encroach upon its hallowed precincts 
— lofty spires and glittering turrets smile over that 
first burial-ground of our country — the white sails of 
commerce swell majestically in the breeze on the bay 
hard by — the shout of joy and the beaming eye of 
hope leap up^ while the genius of Liberty Avaves her 
aegis over that sacred locality. We remember also, 
while standing there, that almost within sight of the 
very spot where the Pilgrims landed, in old " Pilgrim 
Hall," are yet preserved the records of their first 
winter on that dreary island, in their own hand- 
writing — the plates on which they ate their simple 
food ; and we feel the spot to be a shrine at which all 
may worship while drinking in those hallowed asso- 
ciations peculiar to our country and its institutions. 

But if such localities excite our admiration and in- 
spire our patriotism — if our feelings are moved at the 
remembrance of deeds performed on the soil where 
the battles of freedom have been fought — if a spirit 
of reverence irresistibly swells the heart on visiting 
the altars of Liberty, and the places whereon our fore- 
fathers struggled — what will be our emotions when 
we stand within the consecrated walls of Independence 
Hall ? A spot sanctified by events of a holy and ex- 
traordinarv character — the Forum of exalted debate — 



24 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

tlie arena of the purest tliought — tlie birth-place of 
American Freedom^ Indeimidence, and Nationality'^ A 
place so sacred, blessed by so many beneficent spirits, 
and surrounded by such enduring associations, might 
well be designated the " Star Chamber" of Liberty. 
For here are still preserved relics of those brave 
spirits who dared to combat the powers of despotism, 
as well as the bell used on the Fourth of July, 1776, 
to sound the first notes of ''Liberty througliout the land, 
and to all the "peoj^le thereof ^'^ Here was promulgated 
the charter which incorporated the colonies into a 
nation of freemen, and declared a separation from the 
mother country. Invested with forms and reminis- 
cences of the past, it is one of the most awful and 
soul-inspiring theatres which the contemplative mind 
can explore ; it spreads a mystic charm over the 
aspirations — leads the thoughts back through the 
archives of the past, and repaints the master spirits 
who figured within its sacred precincts in the dark 
days of our country's history. '' If other battle-fields 
are interesting in their associations, what shall we say 
of this? What history, what picture can ever tell 
the half of what is suggested to every intelligent and 
susceptible mind, on entering this venerable edifice ? 
Who is not immediately carried back to that day, 
thenceforth memorable forever, when an awful still- 
ness pervaded the assembly for a few moments pre- 
vious to voting that 'these United Colonies are, and 
of right ought to be, free and independent States? 
What devotion then filled this consecrated place, and 

* This is a scriptural motto, and may be foimd in tlie twenty- 
fifth chapter of Leviticus, and the tenth verse. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATION'S. 25 

rose to heaven in silent prayer for firmness, unanimity, 
and deatliless resolve ! One almost hears Hancock 
suggesting to Franklin — ' "We must all liang together, 
now!' 'Yes/ re-echoes the characteristic response of 
that plain old Nestor of patriots, 'we must indeed, all 
hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang 
separately J " Yes, and we, too, can almost see John 
Hancock, when he appended his signature to that 
memorable document which gave freedom to the 
American colonies, and hope to a world in chains, 
rise from his seat, and in a tone of manly boldness 
exclaim : " There, John Bull can read my name with- 
out spectacles, and may now double his reward of 
£500 for my head. That is my defiance^ So in- 
spiring were the associations and scenes connected 
with this Hall, that when Eichard Penn first came to 
this country, and was shown by Samuel Coates the 
trees about the State House, planted by the cotempo- 
raries of his father, during the infancy of the nation, 
and which still stood there when our manhood and 
independence were asserted, the crowd of associations 
which pressed upon his mind made him raise his 
hands in ejaculatory thanks, and his eyes to fill with 
tears. But Independence Hall, the great battle-field 
whereon our fathers met the the British Parliament, 
in its most august display of oratorical talent, braved 
the great kingdom with all its consolidated strength, 
and won the day under the most fearful odds, yet re- 
mains. A writer who appreciated these associations, 
has feelingly said : ^' The heroes, indeed, are departed, 
but here before us is still open their scene of action. 
Death has claimed them, but war and wasting ele- 
ments have spared the theatre of their stupendous 
3 



26 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

struggles. "We can go and meditate there, gazing at 
the places where they sat, the floor on which they 
stood, the windows through which the bright sun 
looked in smilingly upon their sublime transactions, 
and may touch the walls, which seem yet to vibrate 
to the thunders of their eloquence." The genius of 
Liberty, and the spirits of those noble men who 
braved the storms of monarchical usurpation, preside 
with awful imperiousness on the altars of this conse- 
crated structure — invisible guardians watch over it, 
to protect its sacred relics from desecration — while 
Mercy and Justice, twin sisters of heaven, support the 
star-gemmed emblem of republican purity above its 
hallowed shrines ! Awe-inspiring as are the historical 
incidents connected with it, and impressive as are the 
reminiscences which are called into lively existence 
on reading the proceedings of that Convention which 
promulgated the declaration of human rights, thrice 
grand and beautiful is the mausoleum left to remind 
us of their labors. Ages may come and depart — 
nations may rise and fall — empires may spring into 
existence and cease — time may deface these sacred 
mementos; but their associations will remain to in- 
spire patriotic hearts, so long as thoughts of Freedom 
burn, and Hoije^s beacon blazes out over the darkness 
of the earth, or the confederated institutions of the 
land of Washington are preserved to am.eliorate the 
condition of humanity in bondage and chains. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 27 



CHAPTER I. 



INCENTIVE ASSOCIATIONS. 



"Meditation here 
May think down moments. Here the heart 
May give an useful lesson to the head, 
And learning wiser grow without his books." — Cowper. 

Localities whereon valorous deeds have been ac- 
complished can never be blotted from pages of truth- 
ful history. They will still live, though the actors in 
such achievements have long since been gathered with 
the heroic to augment the ranks of the mighty dead. 
The external appearances of such localities may suffer 
from change and the onward progress of time, but 
their associations can never decrease in value to the 
sensitive mind. Sculj)tured columns may crumble 
from temples which have withstood the storms of 
ages ; the skill of the artist become defaced and even 
erased from their surfaces; but the fragments scat- 
tered over the ground in disintegrated masses will 
still speak of the beauty and symmetry which were 
theirs. We look upon such relics with sentiments 
of reverence, for they recall the fact that, in ages far 
remote, they were prominent supports and ornaments 
to gigantic edifices, within whose ■ halls and council- 
chambers sat statesmen and. patriots in solemn con- 
clave, to deliberate on momentous national affairs. 
They seem yet to ring with the voice of eloquence 



28 INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

and enthusiastic patriotism. Their age excites vene- 
ration, because, while we gaze on them, we feel our- 
selves in the presence of antiquity — living repre- 
sentatives of centuries which had their origin ''far 
back in the dim distance of the past." Emotions not 
dissimilar in character come over us when we stand 
on the Mount of Olives, or visit the scenes of our 
Saviour's ministrations. His labors and sufferings 
irresistibly force themselves upon our memories, and 
His voice still vibrates on the air as He wept over 
Jerusalem. The garden of Gethsemane assumes the 
same melancholy characteristics it did the night He 
"sweat as it were great drops of blood," while our 
imaginations behold Him invoking the removal of 
the bitter cup ! We see the cross and the crown of 
thorns — the sepulchre in which He was laid after the 
crucifixion — the road which he journeyed with two 
of His disciples, unknown to them, to Emmaus, sub- 
sequent to His resurrection, and our "hearts burn 
within us" as we picture to ourselves their consterna- 
tion when they discovered that they had been walking 
and conversing with their risen Master. The environs 
of Jerusalem are invested with associations at once 
solemn and interesting, and their hallowed influences 
excite the Cliristian's aspirations and hopes, inspiring 
him with Tenewed energy and devotion. He there 
beholds the Mount of Calvary upon which the Saviour 
of man propitiated the sins of the world, at the sight 
of which sacrifice the sun refused to shine, dense dark- 
ness covered the earth, the heavens shook, and the 
battlemented hills were rent asunder. He remembers 
also the particular incidents connected with that super- 
natural tragedy — he feels his soul grow warmer, and 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 29 

is ready to exclaim with tlie CenturioD : '' Truly this 
was the Son of God !" In contemplating these locali- 
ties a vigorous impetus is given to the reflective ; and 
the thoughtful observer receives additional assurances 
of universal philanthropy. 

But Independence Hall is a shrine at which millions 
of American hearts worship and beat with thrilling 
intensity; it is a Mecca Avhere unrestricted homage 
is paid — on whose altars sweet-smelling incense is 
burned as Liberty's oblation — and to which the jealous 
yet admiring eyes of every nation are turned. Around 
its unsullied walls is thrown an enchantment which 
makes the heart pulsate with burning emotions, and 
the spirit leap up with sentiments of unconquerable 
patriotism. Undefined sensations steal irresistibly 
over the senses, while standing in the presence of 
those mighty men, whose forms still live in " pictured 
immortality," uniting the present with the past, and 
recalling their sublime transactions. 

" They never fail wlio die 
In a great cause ; the block may soak their gore, 
Their heads may sodden in the snn, their limbs 
Be strung to city gates and castle walls ; 
But still their spirits walk abroad. Though years 
Elapse, and others share as dark a doom, 
They but augment the deep and sweeping thoughts 
Which overspread all others, and conduct 
The world at last to freedom." 

The very atmosphere seems redolent of their great- 
ness, and still vibrates with the voice of their elo- 
quence, while the gray walls reflect the awful pur- 
poses of that august convocation ! Their unanimity 
of thought, feelings, sentiments, and actions, indicated 



30 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

the sublime objects for wliicli they were assembled. 
They had felt, in common with their fellows, the iron 
hand of despotism, and knew how hard it was to 
endure its oppressions. They had experienced out- 
rage and wrong — had borne for years, with meek- 
ness and fortitude, without murmuring, the tyrannical 
impositions and exactions of the home government 
■ — had witnessed the efforts of the colonists to establish 
manufacturing and commercial enterprises stricken 
down — had felt the heavy burden of enormous tax- 
ation enervating the growth of their respective settle- 
ments and exhausting their individual resources — • 
they knew that " taxation without representation" was 
inimical to republican institutions, and that, when 
application for redress was made, their petitions were 
only answered by still more stringent exactions! 
They felt that upon them devolved the great respon- 
sibility of shaping the future destiny of their country, 
either for good or for evil. They knew that upon 
them the eyes of their constituents were turned with 
anxious anticipations, and that the result of their de- 
liberations would lead their countrymen to sanguinary 
conflict and all its contingent deprivations and suffer- 
ings, or subject themselves to the guillotine and gal- 
lows ! To immolate their own lives upon the altar 
of their country, as an offering to freedom, in case of 
failure to accomplish the great aim of the struggling 
Colonies, was regarded by them as an incentive to sub- 
sequent action and for the achievement of future glory ! 
All the great motives relating to a separation between 
the home government and her oppressed dependencies 
in America, discussed in private and small assemblages 
throughout the land, were duly and appropriately con- 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 31 

sidered in this grand convocation of the people's rep- 
resentatives. They felt that a duty of more than 
ordinary character was to be discharged, for already 
the clash of resounding arms had thrilled the hearts 
of the colonists. Their friends in oppression had 
been shot down at Lexington by British soldiers, and 
rewards were offered by Parliament for the heads of 
the leaders in the Colonial rebellion. Taxation, 
although beyond endurance in point of severity, was 
still increased — their humble and resjDectful prayers 
for justice were treated with contempt ; and the last 
hope of an afflicted people lay in an implicit confi- 
dence in God, the exalted character of their cause, 
their military prowess and invincibility. No people 
since the establishment of governments exemplified a 
more striking devotion to the authority of their rulers 
than the colonists, while those rulers tempered their 
administrations with reason and justice ; but no people 
were more unwilling to submit when prudence and 
honor were outraged, or their right to govern them- 
selves was called in question. Indignant at the arbi- 
trary disposition of the mother country in refusing 
them a voice in the enactment of laws affecting their 
private and colonial interests, they regarded their 
national dignity insulted, their high and heaven-born 
prerogatives disallowed — and therefore refused alle- 
giance to an unscrupulous ministry, whose acts of 
aggression every day became more and more despotic 
and intolerant. 

Such grave considerations operated with convincing 
weight upon the minds of those reflecting delegates. 
Hence the important measures which they adopted, 
and the direct influences which their deliberative acts 



82 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

had upon tlie country, in a social and national point 
of view. In a social light; the result of their sublime 
proceedings had a tendency to unite the sentiments 
of the inhabitants in different States, and to give 
direction to a system of policy appropriately calculated 
to enhance their growth and prosperity, as well as to 
bind in indissoluble bonds of fraternization hearts 
that were once separated by sectionalism and estrange- 
ment. Socially, this was a potent achievement, for it 
illustrated practically the aphorism that, "in union 
there is strength." In several States sectional feelings 
partially alienated the people from each other, but a 
sense of danger, their common interest and personal 
safety, led to a confederation of sentiment which linked 
them together as a " band of brothers," in the cause 
of self-protection. It was to strengthen this sentiment 
in a general convocation that the colonies assembled 
in primary meetings, selected their delegates, and in- 
structed them in reference to the great duties before 
them, determined, at the same time, that they would 
abide by whatever measures — be they mild or severe 
— which their chosen representatives might deem 
prudent to adopt. Stimulated by the encouraging 
instructions of their constituency, these delegates re- 
paired to the scene of their exaltation with hearts 
glowing with patriotism and warm emotion — they 
knew that a feelino; of resistance actuated the masses 
— and that the ball of reformation when set in motion 
would continue unabated ah ovo usque ad mala. They 
were conscious of the fact that their cause was pro- 
gressing Avith ever advancing steps toward ultimate 
triumph — that it was worse than useless — it would 
be the veriest madness to oppose it. Its success was 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 33 

no longer problematical — it almost bore the semblance 
of a fixed fact. Contrary to predictions or ungenerous 
vilifications, and despite misrepresentations of partisan 
and kingly adherents, the principles of Freedom were 
permeating the rural population of the country with a 
rapidity which augured significantly for the success 
of the cause. These were some of the effects which 
the action of this first great Convention of the people's 
delegates were likely to produce upon the future social 
condition of the country, by creating a unanimity of 
sentiment, a free interchange of thought, and a union 
of policy in their political and religious conduct which 
would inure to their own safety, and be productive of 
the greatest good of the greatest number. 

Viewed in a national light, they saw and anticipated 
greater consequences. They realized that the price of 
liberty ivas to he eternal vigilance, that " no more truly 
do rising clouds and rumbling thunders foreshadow 
gathering storms," than did the indications on every 
side speak of an approaching national tempest. The 
signs of the times were dark, fearful, and portentous ! 
The shadows of the approaching outbreak bent luridly 
above them, with a warning to prepare for the san- 
guinary strife! The enemies of liberty were more 
than usually active — they left no avenue unoccupied 
which might be made auxiliary to their designs — 
" and stealthily and ruthlessly as the assassin's steel 
were they driving their death-thrusts at Freedom's 
heart, and planning destruction to all who gathered 
around her fair, wide-fluttering standard!" That, 
then, was no hour for slumbering indifference^no 
time for supine forgetfulness, of composure and se- 
curity, when the invading hand of depotism, cunning 



84 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

and malignant; threatened to clutcli from tliem their 
dearest rights, their most sacred liberties, and lay low 
beneath unsparing rage and trampling feet, the homes 
of their affections, the altars at which they worshiped, 
and seal from their gaze the splendor of that divine 
truth which has since illumined our nation's onward 
progress, and been the guiding light in its march to 
elevated worth, prosperity and honor. They realized 
these truths, and felt how great were their responsi- 
bilities ! Upon their decision depended the future 
condition, happiness and prosperity, or servitude and 
oppression — of the country. "War with its destructive 
concomitants and still greater despotism, or war with 
its sanguinary struggles and freedom, was to conclude 
the final vote of that assembly. Either alternative 
would be dear and difficult — either would cost years 
of fighting and hundreds of valuable lives. A nation 
of freemen^ possessed of characteristics belonging to 
independent sovereigns, each in an individual capa- 
city, capable of self-government, was to spring up 
from their judicious deliberations, or they themselves 
become martyrs to the cause they represented. It was 
no wonder that they were sleepless at their posts— that 
they kept constantly in their minds the belief that ^^the 
"price of liberty was eternal vigilance^ and that he who 
would successfully combat the sneaking foe must bear 
the whole armor to the fight, and never falter nor turn 
his eves from the thickenino- contest. Their antao^o- 
nists were armed — armed for a desperate purpose! 
The temples they had reared and dedicated for pacific 
measures — places whose atmosphere should have been 
fragrant and glowing witli the sweetness of peace-offer- 
iugs and holiness — were made theatres of whispered 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 35 

plottings, repositories of tumult's deadly weapons ! 
These were facts of a startling and threatening cha- 
racter. They addressed themselves with burning in- 
tensity to the spirit that actuated those representatives 
— our forefathers — in that revolutionary struggle, and 
led to the consummation of the object for which they 
were called together — the framing of a Declaration 
OF Independence* 



INDEPENDENCE HALL: 



CHAPTER n. 

PKIMITIVE SETTLERS AND PUBLIC EDIFICES. 

"Here tlie free spirit of mankind, at length, 
Throws its last fetters off ; and who shall place 
A limit to the giant's unchained strength. 
Or curb his swiftness in the forward race?" — Bryant. 

Every nation has some particular, some sacred enclo- 
sure, or consecrated building, wliich tliey regard as a 
Mecca or slirine, at wliich they pay national oblations 
and homage. These are generally places where im- 
portant events have culminated advantageously to the 
reputation and nationality of the people, or where 
circumstances of vast magnitude have transpired. 
Sometimes, too, they are rendered sacred by inhuma- 
tion of the great, or the expiring throes of heroes on 
ensanguined fields of valor. England has her West- 
minster Alley, France her Hotel des Invalides, and the 
United States— the great American republic— her In- 
dependence Hall. The affections of the people of 
England and France become more elevated at the 
baptismal shrines of their respective nations, and swell 
out with idolizing patriotic intensity. Pestilence and 
famine — war with its incidental misfortunes may 
sweep, like a burning sirocco, millions to the dust — 
yet their survivors will turn to their holy places as 
the surest refuge to invoke consolation in hours of 
3alamity and danger. The American people are no 



ITS HISTOEY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 37 

less superstitiously inclined. They regard tlie sacred 
building in which their " Declaration of Pluman 
Rights" was vitalized and rendered operative, with as 
much reverence as did the Scandinavians the fabled 
well of Mimer. They gaze upon its venerable walls 
and drink deep inspiration — they feel themselves 
standing in the focus where concentrate the united 
efforts and influences of a mighty people — or rather 
in a centre whence radiate scintillations of freedom 
over a wide and prosperous continent. From its 
hallowed dome we can look out upon the illimitable 
blue of the world around — can see a fertile country 
stretching away to a point where ceases the scope of 
human vision, teeming with every thing calculated to 
increase the happiness and welfare of its inhabitants 
— we can see the white sails of commerce dotting the 
noble Delaware, freighted with the products of in- 
dustry for our transatlantic neighbors, while over the 
city and over the country hangs a spirit of sublimity 
and augmenting grandeur. It is not unreasonable, 
therefore, to suppose that the iuhabitants, from the 
associations which surround them, with all their pecu- 
liarities and discrepancies of taste, education, senti- 
ments, private and social habits, national prejudices 
and preferences, should cling ardently to the early 
reminiscences of their ancestors. From the mass of 
mental elements scattered over these fertile regions, 
is formed a public mind, deep, powerful, and inde- 
pendent, which will retain its own great interests with 
a strength and firmness that cannot be shaken by any 
other elements or powers. Over these hills and val- 
leys, yet moist with the blood of the Eevolution, and 
consecrated by heroic bravery — no dogmatical forms 
4 



38 INDEPENDENCE HALL : 

and ceremonies, conventional creeds and systems; 
social deferences or distinctions of wealtli; can check 
the bold inspirations of natural freedom — but thought 
and fancy are free to roam in all the strength and 
vividness of their character. Amid the florid beauty 
that waves over these variegated fields, refreshed by 
the most delicious dews and breezes — amid the asso- 
ciations of youth, sacred domes and puritanical 
restraint, the spirit seems quickening with new and 
more expansive powers and susceptibilities, while the 
sweetest melodies of nature, her multiform beauties, 
boundless and picturesque displays, combine to en- 
chant the ear, and awaken in the bosom new energies, 
emotions and enjoyments. There, instead of the 
narrow streets and pent walls, the dim and smoky 
atmosphere of large cities or towns, we may feel our- 
selves free and invigorated by a pure and fragrant 
atmosphere, and can gaze with a brighter glow of 
admiration over the expansive scenes, broad land- 
scapes teeming with spontaneous luxuriance, which 
strike the view, and make us realize more deeply the 
harmony that prevails around us. S^rrely scenes so 
grand, natural, and free, cannot fail to awaken a more 
active energy, excite stronger emotioAis, nixd inspire 
the thoughts with bolder or more e^tcursive powers. 
With such scenes and associations everywhere around 
this, the cradle of American liberty, it is not strange 
that the American people should exhibit a natural 
pride for, and a strong attachment to, the land of 
their own and the birth of their forefathers. 

Historically considered, Independence Hall presents 
many interesting features. To the student of American 
archaeology, it is one of the most inspiring buildings 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 39 

in the country ; its antiquity excites our veneration ; 
its associations our patriotism ! Standing within the 
room where the Convention of Delegates assembled, 
the American citizen feels surrounded with holy in- 
fluences — he almost hears the pulsatory throbbings 
of each member's heart while gravely considering the 
country's welfare in that Convention — for the occasion 
was one of awful moment. Every portion of the 
building is equally sacred — the walls, the ceiling, the 
carvings, recesses and corners, still ring with the 
voices of the unforgotten dead. We remember, while 
gazing on them, the sore difficulties experienced by 
tlie early settlers of Philadelphia, and feel that it is 
pleasant and instructive to revive and recreate pic- 
tures of the incidents Avhich must have engaged them. 
We can imagine what a bustling, spirited, emulous 
scene it must have been ; and we can transport the 
mind back to the primitive site oi Goaquanock, to wit- 
ness the busy landing from the ships anchored in the 
river, of men, women, and children upon the gravelly 
strand at the foot of the precipitous banks of Dock 
Creek — the hurrying backward and forward of lighters, 
discharging from the ships in the stream, the furni- 
ture, implements and provisions for their future use — 
then the efforts of men, women, and children en- 
deavoring to gain the liiglier river banks. We may 
also imagine the mingled emotions of such families — 
how they must have felt an exhilarating effect in in- 
haling the pure air, after a confined and irksome voy- 
age, among the towering groves of spruce pines, 
which stretched their umbrageous arms abroad — glad, 
no doubt, to feel themselves again safe on solid land- 
Again, we may behold, on the other hand, those 



40 INDEPENDENCE HALL : 

newly-arrived settlers, devoid of all tlie usual com- 
forts and conveniences of civilization, in a gloomy wil- 
derness, without a liouse or shelter ; but with the true 
spirit of heroic pioneers, impressed with hopes of a 
glorious and happy future, they set nobly to work to 
build homes for their wives and children. 

And we may, at the same time, feel that some 
leading member of that Christian community, after 
piou.sly returning thanks to the Almighty for their 
safe landing, and asking His blessing on their future 
efforts, begins himself the good example of the toil 
before them, like Christian David, the pioneer Mora- 
vian settler at Hernhuth, b}^ striking his axe in the 
first tree, and exclaiming : " Here hath the sparrow 
found a house, and the swallow a nest for himself — 
near thine altar, O Lord God of hosts !" Yes — there, 
in the sweet quietness of the wood, free from the 
hurries and perplexities of Europe, they could not 
but remember they were quite removed from per- 
secution, 

"Nut like tlieir fatliers, vexed from age to age, 
Bj blatant bigotry's insensate rage." 

In imagination we still behold the men and the boys, 
with their implements for clearing away the forests 
on their shoulders, starting oft* to select places for 
temporary huts, cabins or caves in the side of the hill; 
and while some excavate the earth, three or four feet, 
near the margin of the river, others ply the axe to 
clear the underwood, or to fell trees, whose limbs and 
foliage were used to supply sides and roofs to their 
humble dwellings. Again we see others engaged in 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 41 

digging soclS; wliicli tliey employ in forming sides to 
their huts, and when these are completed, chimneys 
of grass or kneaded clay are set up, and the house is 
finished ! In the meantime the women have lighted 
fires on the ground, and "having their kettle slung 
between two poles, upon a stick transversed," their 
humble and frugal meal is quickly prepared ; all 
gather around and partake of it with light and happy 
hearts. Then, each famil}^ begins to convey to their 
new-made residence their goods and furniture, and 
they all feel settled for a season. Thus their frail 
hovels became occupied, and the families located close 
to each other for self-protection ; and 



Raised sweet society in solitude." 

And then the busy scene began ! No sooner had 
the surveyor, with much labor, by felling trees and 
dragging away the brushwood, made an imperfect 
passage, along which to draw his ^'lengthening chain," 
than he formed i\\Q '' city 2^lotr "With what alacrity 
and earnestness did the men start off to prepare the 
ground for permanent improvement? The echoing 
wood resounded with the ringing voices of the wood- 
men's axes and the crash of falling trees — the In?lians 
looked on amazed and affrighted at this, the first 
sounds of civilization that had ever reverberated on 
their ears. Starting here, and flying there, beasts and 
birds, were killed in large quantities, and served as 
excellent food for the people while they were clearing 
away the deep embarrassments of the soil. '^ Even 
the reptiles, deadly and venomous, then first felt the 



42 INDEPENDENCE HALL : 

assault of the primeval curse; and tlie serpent's head 
was crusliedy 

So soon as the permanent buildings had been gen- 
erally started; and the forests disappeared, the rude 
original outlines of the city — not then as now — began 
to be apparent; and we may well imagine the cheerful 
greetings Avhich passed between those pioneers, while 
contemplating the steady progress each had made. 
And ofteU; toO; we fancy how reciprocally they must 
have aided each other at their " raisings, "^^ and other 
heavy operations requiring many hands and much 
physical strength. A mutual dependence upon each 
other was felt by all. Self-interest and self-protection 
led to this policy. With that sublime conception of 
revelation whicli inspires the heart to live out the 
precepts of an overruling Providence; the}^ permitted 
no dissension or evil report to mar the steady prog- 
ress of their purposes. Thus it was that; not only the 
solitudes of the wilderness were converted into safe 
and pleasant retreats, but the rude denizens of the 
forests themselves were tamed into submission by the 
superior civilzation of the white man. Time passed 
OU; and their little colony spread its dimensions in 
various directions. Smiling fieldS; rich with virgin 
cropS; appeared where the " heavy oak and chestnut- 
trees^tood." 

We remember; toO; that, at that time, the first 
houses lay chiefly south of what was called High — now 
Market — street, and on the northern bank of Dock 
Creek — then called the Swamp. At the mouth of this 
creek was the Ferry from the Blue Anchor Tavern — 
the place where William Penn first landed in a boat 
from Chester; when he visited his province in Penn- 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 43 

sylvania — leading over to ^^ Society Hill," before tlie 
Causeiuay at Front street Avas formed. The first bridge, 
and their then first means of a cart-road leading west- 
wardly, was a wooden structure laid across the water 
'' where the tide ebbed and flowed," at Hudson's alley 
and Chestnut street. Dock Creek then traversed 
Fourth and High streets, and on the north side of 
High street, formed a pond, which was surrounded 
with shrubbery, and was an excellent resort for wild 
foAvl and geese, where they were easily captured. On 
examining old documents, we find that another great 
duck pond lay in the rear of Christ Church, and the 
first Baptist Meeting House. Tradition relates tliat, 
at that place an Indian feast was held ; and in order 
to amuse William Penn and exhibit their agility, the 
Indians peformed a foot-race around the entire pond. 
From Dock Creek at Girard's Bank, divero^ino- in an- 
gular directions, ran a water- course through what was 
subsequently designated ''Beak's Hollo vV," near Sixth 
and Walnut streets, and terminated in another duck 
pond. All these places were regarded with peculiar 
interest by the inhabitants, who, during the summer- 
time, frequently watched the deer, as they came down 
to drink and eat the " sjjatierdashes" which grew luxu- 
riantly around their borders. 

These ancient reminiscences inspire us with deep 
emotions, for by them we learn how patiently the 
founders of the city of Philadelphia toiled amid in- 
terposing dif&culties to open a way through the deep 
forests of Pennsylvania for the progress of civilization. 
Each effort of those struggling pioneers is regarded 
with peculiar interest, as they were directed toward 
the establishment of institutions from which should 



44 ini)epend>:nce hall: 

flow the choicest blessings to humanity — the blessings 
of Freedom and Indei-ienderice. 

Looking at these things through the medium of 
historical contemplation, we remember that, ''as 
buildings and comforts progressed," the early settlers 
turned their attention to Pahlic Edifices, and one of 
their first measures in this respect was, the erection of 
a place of worship. This building was known as the 
Friends' Meeting House. It was built at the Centre 
Square, and lay far beyond the then verge of popula- 
tion. Frequently when the settlers were following 
the cart-path from, the town, they saw it traversed 
by wild game, deer and turkeys, and often that less 
welcome visitor, the bear, would show himself to the 
people. The next public building required was a 
place of confinement for violators of the peace ; and 
they rented a building from Patrick Eobinson for 
that purpose, until the young city had provided itself 
with one better adapted for the emergencies of the 
times. This was soon erected, and was situated on a 
spot of ground opposite William Penn's Mansion in 
Laetitia court, before which stood "his gate" to the 
space of ground surrounding it, and before which he 
made his royal proclamation to the people. Opposite 
this mansion was then 



" A grassy sward, 
Close cropt by nibbling slieep," 



which were pastured there until fit for market, when 
they were sold from the movable shambles. Con- 
spicuous, too, was the residence of Edward Shippen, 
the first Mayor of the city, which "surpassed his 



ITS HISTOEY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 45 

cotemporaries in the style and grandeur of its appur- 
tenances" — for, having crossed the water, he located 
himself in that venerable building subsequently known 
as the " Governor's house/' but upon the site of which 
is now situated "Wain's Eow," in South Second 
street, '^on the hill near the town, where he had a 
great and famous orchard, and where he also had 
tame deer. His house appeared to have been located 
on an eminence, for the hill beautifully descended in 
a green bank in front of his house to Dock Creek, and 
no intervening object prevented the prospect to the 
Jerseys and the river." Cotemporaneously with 
these, the citizens erected the first Christ Church, 
under the supervision of Eev. Mr. Clayton — "a' 
wooden building, of such declining eaves that a by- 
stander could touch them." 

Pre-eminent, however, at that period, and often 
visited as a curiosity and for its grandeur, even then, 
was the Swedes' Church, with its steeples. This was 
built upon the site of the old log church in which 
Avere '^oop-holes" for firearms, as in a block-house, 
for which purpose it was to have been used in cases 
of necessity. There was also built a most magnificent 
structure designated the "State House." The location 
of this building was at the corner of Second street and 
ISTorris' alley, and in 1700 was occupied by William 
Penn, and is now known as William Penn's house. 
This building is still standing, and is desecrated by 
being occupied as furniture and clothing stores. About 
the same time, Capt. Finny became the purchaser of 
Samuel Carpenter's Coffee House, on Second street, 
near Walnut, which was demolished in 1854, to give 
room for other improvements. In close ]3roximity 



46 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

to tlie old proprietors buildings were built " the first 
crcuic and the first ^charves for vessels. The first and 
only landing places were the low and sandy beach on 
the north side of the Drawbridge, another at the Penny 
Pothouse, on the north side of Yine street, and the 
third was a great breach through the high hill at 
Arch street, over which an arched bridge extended, 
(from which circumstance the street took its name,) 
letting carts and people descend to the landing ujicler 
its arch." But, 

"While Ave retrace, with memory's pointing wand, 
That calls the past to our exact review," 

we can imagine the condition those hardy pioneers 
were placed in — the advantages and disadvantages 
they experienced — how they struggled through mis- 
fortune with brave and heroic hearts — how mutually 
dependent they were upon each other ; and how re- 
ciprocally they interchanged labor for labor, or for 
food. None were strangers, and all were friends. 
There was no distinction of caste; none felt himself 
superior to his neighbor — and none of those con- 
ventional formalities which now make strangers, and 
oftentimes enemies, of families upon the same soil, in 
the same city, were felt or practiced by them. AYhat 
great revolutions have taken place since then ! 



" Trade has changed the scene ! 
* * where scatter'd hamlets rose, 
Unwieldy wealth and cumbrous pomp repose — 
And rural mirth and manners are no more !" 

Another structure Avhich claims our attention, and 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 47 

wliicli excites our patriotic admiration whenever we 
pass it, is that venerable edifice which stands back 
from Chestnut street in a little court, known as " Car- 
penter's Hall." Although ostensibly built for a hall 
in which the Society of House Carpenters could hold 
their meetings, it is distinguished by the fact that, in 
it the first Congress of the country met, for the pur- 
pose of deliberating upon, and maturing incipient 
measures in reference to a separation of the colonies 
from tlie authority of the mother country. For 
several years subsequentl}^, however, it was used as 
the first " Bank of the United States," and is now oc- 
cupied as an auction-room, where its associations and 
hallowed inspirations are insulted by the selfish pur- 
poses of traffic. The thousands of fashionable citizens 
who daily throng the sidewalk on Chestnut street, 
behold in front of this venerable edifice articles of 
merchandise, and large placards announcing them for 
sale, a;ul then pass on, regardless of the sacred influ- 
ences whiqh the Hall is calculated to excite. Often 
have we, while gazing upon it, and wandering through 
its apartments, recalled the language and experienced 
the same emotions of that noble Virginian, who, in 
1829, paid the following beautiful tribute to this 
building : 

" I write this from the celebrated Carpenters' Hall, 
a structure that will ever be deemed sacred while 
rational liberty is cherished on earth. It stands in a 
court at the end of an alley leading south from Chest- 
nut, between Third and Fourth streets. It is of brick, 
three stories high, surmounted with a low steeple, and 
presents externally rather a sombre aspect. The 
lower room, in which the first Congress of the United 



48 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

States (perhaps I slioiild say Colonies) met, compre- 
hends the whole area of the building — which, how- 
ever, is not very spacious. Above are the committee- 
rooms, now occupied by a very polite school-master, 
who kindly gave me permission to inspect them. 
Yes ! these sublime apartments, which first resounded 
with the indignant mnrmurs of our immortal an- 
cestors, sitting in secret consultation upon the Avrongs 
of their countrymen, now ring with the din of urchins 
conning over their tasks ; and the hallowed hall be- 
low, in which the august assembly to which they be- 
longed, daily convened, is now devoted to the nse of 
an auctioneer ! Even now, while I am penning these 
lines at his desk, his voice stuns my ear and distracts 
my brain, crying ' How much for these rush-bottom 
chairs ? I am offered §5 — nobody more ? — going ! 
going 1 1 gone ! ! !' In fiict, the hall is lumbered with 
beds, looking-glasses, chairs, tables, pictures, ready- 
made clothes, and all the trash and trumpery which 
usually grace the premises of a knight of the liammer. 
The building, it is gratifying to add, still belongs to 
the Society of Carpenters, who will by no means part 
with it, or consent to any alteration. It was here that 
the groundwork of our Independence was laid — for 
here it was, on the 4th of September, 1774, after the 
attempt on the part of ' the mother country' to tax the 
colonies without their consent, and the perpetration 
of numerous outrages by the regulars upon the de- 
fenseless inhabitants, the sages of America came 
together to consider of their grievances. Yes ! these 
walls have echoed the inspiring eloquence of Patrick 
Henry, 'the greatest orator,' in the opinion of Mr. 
Jefferson, 'that ever lived' — the very man who 'gave 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 49 

the first impulse to the ball of our Revolution !' In 
this consecrated apartment, in which I am now seated 
— this unrivalled effort of human intellect was made I 
— I mark it as an epoch in my life. I look upon it 
as a distinguishing favor that I am permitted to tread 
the very floor which Henry trod, and to survey the 
scene which, bating the changes of time and circum- 
stances, must have been surveyed by him. 0, that 
these walls could speak ! — that the echo Avhich pene- 
trates my soul as I pronounce the name of Patrick 
Henry, in the corner I occupy, miglit again rever- 
berate the thunders of his eloquence ! But he has 
long ago been gathered to his fathers, and this hall, 
with the ancient State House of the ' Old Dominion,' 
T fervently hope may exist for ages as the monuments 
of his glory." 

Allusion has been made to the preceding fugitive 
scraps of history, only for the purpose of augmenting 
the interest attached to Independence Hall. As part 
of the story of this sacred edifice, they must forever 
remain inseparable. In Carpenters' Hall the first 
efforts of a struggling people to become free assumed 
a tangible form — in Independence Hall those efforts 
culminated to a glorious consummation. In the one, 
full and emphatic exhibitions of the people's will were 
obtained — in the other, that icill was vitalized into an 
unyielding resolve. So that, in whatever light we 
choose to regard the connection, it contributes 
largely to the association which cluster around the 
sublime reminiscences of the " Cradle" where Liberty 
was fostered, and from which it grew into vigorous 
manhood. 



50 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 



CHAPTER III. 



"Ai? lie witli his boys, shall revist this spot, 

He will tell tliem in whispers more softly to tread : 
Oh ! surely, by these I shall ne'er be forgot — 

Remembrance still hallows the dust of the dead !"— i^j/ron. 

This venerable edifice, wliicli excites so much 
patriotic veneration from the American people, and is 
regarded with profound esteem abroad, Avas known 
until the year 1776, as the ''State House;' From 
that memorable period — when the representatives of 
the nation resolved to be free — the room on the east 
side of the main entrance has been designated by the 
appellation of Independence Hall. For wise and 
patriotic reasons it has never been altered. By that 
designation it will remain hallov/ed to all time. So 
long as a single genuine spark of freedom remains in 
the human heart, so long will Independence Hall be re- 
garded as the birth-place of liberty — the immortal 
spot Avhere the manacles of oppression were sundered, 
and despotism received its most formidable rebuke. 
The ''State House," originally constructed for the 
purpose of accommodating legal business, the dispensa- 
tion of Colonial statutes for Pennsylvania, and the 
transaction of various other matters, was commenced 
in the year 1729, and completed in 1734. Its dimen- 
sions and architectural plan— the design being fur- 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 51 

nished by an amateur architect, named John Kearsley, 
St., — were regarded by man}^ as too large and ex- 
pensive ; and the erection of the building was, there- 
fore, quite strenuously opposed. Had the men who 
first conceived the noble enterprise of building it fore- 
seen the exalted character which their contemplated 
edifice would assume in future, there would not prob- 
ably have been a single dissenting voice in the liberal 
plan projected by its founders. It is a singular his- 
torical fact, that most of those who opposed the plan 
of the edifice in the commencement, and who were 
still living at the time, were opposed to the adoption 
of the " Declaration of Independence," which occurred 
within its very walls about a quarter of a century after- 
ward. According to bills and papers kept by Andrew 
Hamilton, one of the three Commissioners who had the 
superintendence of the financial matters connected 
with its construction, it appears that the edifice cost 
originally $16,250. The two wings which now form 
important addenda to the building, however, Avere not 
erected until the years 1739-40, and increased the 
total amount to $28,000 — but their cost cannot be 
counted in the original bill. Watson, in his Annals, 
says : 

'• Edmund Woolley did the carpenter work, John 
Harrison the joiner work, Thomas Boude was the 
brick mason, William Holland did the marble work, 
Thomas Kerr, plaster, Benjamin Fairman and James 
Stoopes made the bricks ; the lime was from the kilns 
of the Tysons. [These kilns were situated in Manship 
township, Montgomery county, about one mile west 
from Willow Grove, and fifteen miles from the Hall 
of Independence. This property has ever since re- 



52 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

mainecl in possession of tliat family. Joseph C. Tyson, 
Esq., is now owner of the kihis, and carries on the 
lime business very extensively.] The glass and lead 
cost £170, and the glazing in leaden frames was done 
by Thomas Godfrey, the celebrated. I may here use- 
fully add, for the sake of comparison, the costs of 
sundry items, to wit : Carpenter's work at 45. per day ; 
boy's l5. ; master carpenter, E. Woolley, 4s. 6c/. ; brick- 
laying, by Thomas Boude, John Palmer, and Thomas 
Eedman, at IO5. 6cZ. per M. ; stone -work in the founda- 
tion, at 45. per perch ; digging ground and carting 
away, 9rZ. per yard ; bricks, Z\s. Sd. per M. ; lime per 
100 bushels, £4; boards, 2O5. per M. ; lath-wood I85. 
per cord ; laths, Ss. per C. ; shingles, 205. per M. ; 
scantling, l^d. per foot; stone, Ss. per perch, and 55. 
5(7. per load. Laborers receive 2s. 6d. per day ; 2100 
loads of earth are hauled away at 9d. per load." These 
items are only given as specimens of curiosity, and 
will serve to amuse, if not to instruct. 

The wood-work of the steeple by which the building 
was first surmounted, on examination in 1774, was 
found to be so much decayed, that it was decided to 
remove it, and it was accordingly taken down, leaving 
only a small belfry to cover the bell for the use' of the 
town-clock — which had but one dial-face, at the west 
end of the building. In that condition it remained 
until 1829, when the steeple which noAV crowns the 
building, was erected on the plan of the original one. 
Some years ago the interior wood- work to the room 
in which the ''Declaration of Independence" was 
signed, was removed, for the purpose of modernizing 
the plans, but public sentiment soon demanded its 
restoration, and it now presents the same appearance 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 06 

it did on that memorable occasion. In 1854, the 
City Councils of Philadelphia^ very patriotically re- 
solved to place in this sacred room — where they 
properly belong — all the relics associated with the 
brilliant history of the Hall and the times cotempora- 
neous with the American Eevolution, which they 
could obtain. With commendable zeal and enterprise 
they have obtained and arranged in their appropriate 
places portraits of nearly all the distinguished ^'Signers 
of the Declaration of Independence/' as well as many 
other valuable relics, all of which are sacred memen- 
toes uniting the present and the past with ligaments 
of inseverable affection. Hence it is that, when we 
visit that holy place — that Mecca of freedom's chil- 
dren —that shrine where Liberty's sons and daughters 
bow in holy reverence — we feel that the eyes of the 
mighty are gazing upon us, watching our conversation 
and our national characteristics, to see whether we 
who enjo}^ so many rich and glorious privileges, 
rightly respect and appreciate what they hazarded 
their lives and enjoyments to effect ! There are in- 
cidents connected with Independence Hall sufficiently 
impressive to excite our warmest patriotism. '^ When 
the regular sessions of the Assembly were held in the 
State House," says Watson, ''the Senate occupied up- 
stairs, and the Lower House the same chamber, since 

* The object of the City Councils in this was, to secure such 
relics a x^ermanent position in the Hall of Independence, and to 
afford visitors a source of gratification. Many of these portraits 
are of inestimable value, and are the only authentic ones of the 
distinguished persons they represent. They should ensure the 
respect of every American who desires to look upon the por- 
traits of departed heroes, while they elicit the admiration of 
strangers and the great from abroad. 



54 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

called Independence Hall. In tlie former, Anthony 
Morris is remembered as Speaker, occnpying an ele- 
vated chair facing north — himself a man of amiable 
mien, contemplative aspect, dressed in a suit of drab 
cloth, flaxen hair slightly powdered, and his eyes 
fronted with spectacles. The Eepresentative chamber 
had George Latimer for Speaker, seated with his face 
to the west — a well-formed manly person, his fair 
large front and eyes sublime declared absolute rule." 
For many years previous to 1855, the upper apart- 
ment of Independence Hall was divided into rooms 
which were occupied by the Supreme Courts of the 
United States, and was rented for offices of various 
kinds. But in that year the municipal authorities 
had the partition walls which separated the rooms 
torn away and the apartments tastefully fitted up and 
appropriated to the use of the City Councils, both 
branches of which now hold their sessions within its 
sacred precincts. 

When we consider the associations which cluster 
around this venerable room — how many incidents 
have occurred here to remind us of our nation's rapid 
progress from dependent colonies to a great and pros- 
perous empire — how steadily and surely our institu- 
tions have given demonstration of the practical work- 
ings of a Republican form of Government ; we feel 
constrained to believe that a municipal corporation 
w]iich has the honorable task of framing codes and 
ordinances to govern nearly a million of human 
beings, might act with motives as pure and lofty as 
those which prompted the members of the Colonial 
Assembly, who met in the same building, and tlie 
same room ! But exigencies and extraordinary ucca- 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 55 

sions develope the intellectual abilities of great and 
good men, while expectation and desire of self-ag- 
grandisement characterize time-serving politicians, 
whose patriotism is measured by the amount of pelf 
derived from official preferment. We can scarcely 
reconcile to our belief that here, within the holy fane 
\^\\qi:q freedom of thought and principle first assumed 
tangibility ; where vitality was given to declarations 
of ancestral patriots ; where germs of the mightiest 
and most influential nation that ever flourished were 
sown, any corporate body of men, convened in a rep- 
resentative capacity, could ever act with other than 
the purest and most patriotic motives. There is 
something so peculiarly reverential about. every por- 
tion of this building, so awe-exciting and sacred, that 
boisterous passions and declamatory partisauism 
should never mar or desecrate its walls. Not a word 
ought ever to be uttered here inconsistent with the 
lii'st expressions of republicanism, promulgated by 
the founders of the nation. Oh ! let this temple re- 
main pure and unsullied from any. act calculated to 
tarnish the fair escutcheon of our country's glory. 
Let it be kept a shrine where holy thoughts, holy 
aspirations, and holy deeds are registered ; where free- 
dom's children may come and worship, and feel them- 
selves sanctified by the purity of its atmosphere. 

Grave and deliberate as were the general purposes, 
during the early period of the Kevolution, to which 
the "State House" was appropriated in the Colonial 
days of Pennsylvania, it was on several occasions used 
as a hall for banqueting. In the long gallery, up- 
stairs, the feasting tables were spread, around which 
hilarity and mirthfulness prevailed, while the tables 



56 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

tliemselves were loaded with every desirable luxury 
whicli the appetite or inclination might fancy or de- 
sire. Soon after the edifice was completed, in 1736, 
William Allen, Esq., then Mayor of Philadelphia, 
made a feast at his own expense. This entertainment, 
which was of a sumptuous and costly character, was 
spread in the ''State House," and the Mayor extended 
his invitations to all distinguished strangers in the 
city. The number of invited guests exceeded any at 
the feasts given in the city on previous occasions, 
while those who partook of his hospitality expressed 
their unanimous consent that, " for excellency of fare, 
it was a most elegant entertainment." On the arrival 
of their new Colonial Governor, Denn}^, in 1756, while 
the Assembly was in session, that body gave him a 
reception dinner, and this feast was likewise spread at 
the ''State House," at which the "civil and military 
officers and clergy of the city" were present. This 
entertainment occurred in August, and was an im- 
portant event during that session of the Assembly. It 
had a tendency to harmonize various antagonistical 
personal feelings, which were looked upon as boding 
no peculiar good to the new administration. Again, 
when Lord Loudon, commander-in-chief of the King's 
forces in the several colonies, visited the city in the 
year 1757, the corporation received him at the " State 
House" by a grand banquet. General Forbes, who 
was then commander at Philadelphia and of the 
southern settlements, was also present on that occasion. 
Various guests were invited, among whom were officers 
of rank, gentlemen strangers, clergy and private citi- 
zens, who partook of those municipal hospitalities. It 
was remarked by some uninvited guests at the time, 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 67 

that tlie expenditure for this entertainment was greater 
than had ever before been made by the authorities for 
public receptions, which indicated a very early hos- 
tility to such feasts — especially when given at the ex- 
pense of the public treasury. When in 1774, the first 
Congress met in Philadelphia, a sumptuous collation 
was prepared by the gentlemen of the city, for the en- 
tertainment of its representatives, the '^ State House" 
was selected as the building in which the festive cere- 
monies should be performed. The members and in- 
vited guests congregated first at the '^ City Tavern,"^ 
and thence marched in an imposing procession to the 
" State House," in the dining hall of which the re- 
past was spread. About five hundred persons par- 
took of the dinner, and when the toasts were given 
they were rendered patriotic by the ''firing of can- 
non and martial music." These festive occasions 
exerted salutary influences upon public sentiment, 
and had a tendency to develope, in no small degree, 
political feelings which actuated the people. No 
doubt the principles promulgated and advocated 
around the brimful goblet and board, were regarded 
in a patriotic or disloyal sense, according to the domi- 
nant characteristics of leading men, with their ad- 
herence to Parliamentary laws, or republican sym- 
pathy. Whatever sentiment was toasted and re- 
sponded to then, was given in the spirit of honesty, 
and elicited purity of expression. Words were not 
wasted in declamatory sentences ; appeals were not 
made for idle or pernicious purposes ; and intriguing 

* The City Tavern stood on the site of the "Coffee House," 
and was a distinguished eating restaurant. 



58 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

politicians had no unworthy ends to subserve. Every 
heart was prompted by motives of lofty and patriotic 
devotion — whether in the cause of the Crown, or 
against the exercise of its prerogatives. Then^ there 
was no cause for severe animadversion of the manner 
in which the public business was conducted, which 
has since afforded plausibility for charges of pecula- 
tion and corruption. Every act, politically and pri- 
vately, was performed with an eye single to the entire 
interest of all concerned. None felt disposed to take 
advantage of his fellow, or to enhance his personal 
objects by extortionate exactions from others. By 
those festivals ties of friendship were strengthened, 
bonds of mutual enterprise cemented, national mea- 
sures suggested and frequently adopted. Deliberate 
and calm discussion of various topics connected with 
governmental affairs, gave power and character to the 
purposes for which such scenes of friendly greeting 
were given, and assisted in forming a deep and strong 
attachment to their country and their homes. 

Notwithstanding the fact, that Independence Hall 
is regarded as a most sacred shrine of Liberty, in 
days of yore it was used for various purposes — some 
of which illy comported with the true character of the 
building. Mr. Watson says : " For many years the 
public papers of the Colony, and afterward of the City 
and State, Avere kept in the east and west wings of the 
State House, without any fire-proof security as they 
now possess. From their manifest insecurity, it Avas 
deemed, about nineteen years ago (now thirty), to pull 
down those former two-story brick wings, and to sup- 
ply their places by those which are now there. In 
former times such important papers as rest with the 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 59 

Frothonotaries were kept in their offices at tlieir family 
residences." When workmen were superiDtending 
the removal of the former wings of the State House, 
Mr. Grove, who was the master-mason, made several 
interesting discoveries of relics. These were mostly 
found under the foundation of the walls, as the work- 
men excavated the ground considerably deeper for 
the present cellars. At the depth of some five feet, 
and close to the western wall, was dug up a keg of 
Indian flints. Nothing appears upon record to give 
the faintest idea as to who performed the deed, or for 
what purpose they were buried there. The impression 
of the keg was distinct, but the wood had decayed 
and become assimilated with the loamy soil. At 
about the same depth, and in close proximity to it, 
were uncovered the complete equipments of a ser- 
geant, consisting of a musket, cartouoh-box, sword, 
buckles, &c. " The wood being decayed, left the im- 
pression of what they had been." These discoveries 
excited considerable curiosity, and attracted a large 
multitude of people to see and examine them. But a 
greater and more general excitement was created, a 
day or two subsequently, at the announcement that a 
lot of bomb-shells, filled with powder, had been ex- 
humed by the diggers. This circumstance led to 
various conjectures, relative to the object for which 
they had been buried beneath the bu.ilding, bu.t a 
satisfactory solution of the mystery has not, as yet, 
been given. Some entertained the belief that it was 
intended for another Guy Faux plot, to destroy the 
edifice on a particular occasion. Most probably, how- 
ever, they had been placed there for safe keeping, or 
to prevent tlieir fiilling into unfriendly hands. Sub- 



(>0 TNDia^ENDENCE HALL : 

sequently, when the present foundation was built 
two of these bombs were walled in with the stones 
and now form a portion of the stone-w^ork. Future 
antiquarians and monarchical adherents may regard 
this in a symbolic light, as typical of the ultimate 
downfall of Republicanism, because, beneath and 
within the very walls of the structure in which free- 
dom of conscience and the rights of humanity were 
asserted, are imbedded the elements of its own de- 
struction. We congratulate ourselves, however, upon 
the fact that should Independence Hall ever crumble 
into ruins, there are associations connected with it 
sufficiently impressive to inspire the hearts and direct 
the sentiments of the American people in every thing 
pertaining to their own unsullied Nationality and Re- 
publican sentiments ; for, as Milton remarks, " recon.- 
cilement never growls where ivounds of deadly hate 
have inerced so deep^ 

We have remarked that Independence Hall was 
used for various purposes. In the year 1802 the 
Legislature of Pennsylvania granted to Charles Wil- 
son Peale, the use of the upper rooms in which the 
public banquets w^ere formerly given, for the exhibi- 
tion of curiosities which he had collected and arrans^ed 
under the title of the " Philadelphia Museum^ This 
institution was commenced in the year 1781, with the 
simple donation of a ^'paddle-fish" from the Ohio 
River. From that time until his decease, Mr. Peale 
was engaged in efforts of conveying instruction and 
amusement to the citizens of Philadelphia, and all 
who wished to visit his museum. The doors of the 
museum Avere never open to the profligate and licen- 
tious—the place having been scrupulously preserved 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 61 

as a resort for the virtuous and refined of society. In 
the arrangement and classification of his natural curi- 
osities, Mr. Peale was singularly fortunate. He adopted 
the system of Linnaeus in classifying his birds and 
mammalia : that of Mr. Cleveland in his mineralogical 
cabinet; which contained over 1700 specimens. In 
conchology, which contained more than 1000 specie^, 
he employed the system of Lamarck. The museum 
contained a large collection of fossil reliquiae of our 
own country and of Europe, at the head of which was 
the mammoth, the bones of whose skeleton were dis- 
covered in a morass, in Ulster County, New York, by 
persons digging for marl. Cabinets of fish, reptiles, 
comparative anatomy, and a numerous collection of 
miscellaneous articles of works of Art, implements, 
dresses, arms, antiquities, and so forth, from various 
parts of the globe, were appropriately located in 
various parts of the rooms. The museum contained 
many valuable paintings of officers and diplomatic 
characters who figured during the Eevolution, which 
were painted by Mr. Peale during that stormy period. 
In that year the proprietors had succeeded in collect- 
ing 274 quadrupeds of various species, and 1284 
birds. The collection of insects was very large, and 
arranged in geographical divisions. That portion of 
it embracing the Si^ssidosstera was well adapted to their 
perfect preservation and most advantageous display. 
This museum was incorporated in 1822, by an Act of 
the Leo;islature, and was then removed to the Arcade. 
As a place of literary entertainment. Independence 
Hall assumes a conspicuous reputation. In 1771, the 
Rev. Jacob Duchc, Assistant Minister of Christ Church 
and St. Peter's, in Philadelphia, wrote as follows: — 
6 



62 INDEPENDENCE HALL; 

'' The ' State House,' as it is called, is a large, plain 
building, two stories liigli. The lower story is divided 
into two large rooms, in one of which the Provincial 
Assembly meet, and in the other the Supreme Court 
of Judicature is held. The upper story consists of a 
long gallery, which is generally used for public enter- 
tainments, and two rooms adjoining it, one of which 
is appropriated for the Governor and his Council ; the 
other, I believe, is yet unoccupied. In one of the 
wings, which join the main building by means of a 
brick arcade, is deposited a valuable collection of 
books, belonging to a number of the citizens, who are 
incorporated by the name of ' The Library Comjxvi?/ 
of PhiladeljjJna.'' You would be astonished, my Lord, 
at the general taste for books, Avhich prevails among 
all orders and ranks of people in this city. The 
librarian assured me, that, for one person of dis- 
tinction and fortune, there were twenty tradesmen 
that frequented this library." The Library Company 
of Philadelphia, to which the above reverend writer 
so sneeringly alludes, (and who, during the Eevolu- 
tionary struggle for Independence, turned Tory to the 
cause of Freedom,) was first started by Benjamin 
Franklin, in 1731, and was called " The City Lihrary^^ 
in consequence of a union which was made on the 
first of July of that year, of several Libraries. In 
October, 1732, their first importation of books from 
England arrived, amounting in cost to £45 155. 
sterling. The Library was located in Pewter-platter 
alley, but in 1740 it was transferred to the State 
House. Thence in 1773 it was placed in the " Car- 
penters' Hall," where it remained until the year 1790. 
It received its incorporation in 1742, under the title 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 63 

of tlie "Library Company of Pliilaclelpliia." In 1792 
this Compan}^^ the Loganian, and the Union, were 
merged into one — making a tria jimcia in una. 

During the progress of the struggle for Freedom, 
the State House was signalized for many scenes which 
transpired within it, and was, at one time, used as a 
hospital for wounded soldiers. A "lobby" extended 
the whole length of the building, then eastward from 
the head of the stairs, and in this " lobby" the American 
officers wdio were captured at the battle of German- 
town were retained as prisoners. It was used as a 
hospital after the battle of the Brandy wine, where 
many a noble patriot breathed his last. Such w^ere 
some of the sad purposes for which this sacred struc- 
ture has been used. This building is also rendered 
immortal from the fact that here Washington '^ bade 
farewell to public life, and delivered that memorable 
address which will ever be cherished as a sacred 
legacy by his grateful countrymen," In 1824, La- 
fayette received his friends in Independence Hall. 
It has been subsequently used as the audience cham- 
ber of several distinguished visitors, and a reception 
room for the Presidents of the United States. The 
body of the venerable John Quincy Adams here lay 
in state, on its way to his final resting-place. In con- 
nection with the historical associations which cluster 
around this immortal structure, we may use the re- 
marks of Eaynal, a distinguished Frenchman, who 
Avrote a few years after the Declaration of Indepen- 
dence had been signed. He said : " With Avhat 
grandeur, with what enthusiasm, should I not speak 
of those generous men who erected this grand edifice, 
by their patience, their wisdom, and their courage ! 



64 INDEPENDENCE HALL*. 

Ilancock, Franklin, and the two Adamses, were the 
greatest actors iit this affecting scene ; but they were 
not the only ones. Posterity shall know them all. 
Their honored names shall be transmitted to it by a 
happier pen than mine. Brass and marble shall show 
them to remotest ages. In beholding them, shall the 
friend of freedom feel his heart palpitate with joy ; 
feel his eyes float in delirious tears. Under the bust 
of one of them has been written — ' He invested thunder 
from heaven and tlie sceptre from tyrants.^ Of the last 
words of this eulogy shall all of them partake. Heroic 
country, my advanced age permits me not to visit 
thee. Never shall I see myself among the respectable 
personages of thy Areopagus ; never shall I be present 
at the deliberations of thy Congress. I shall die with- 
out seeing the retreat of toleration, of manners, of 
laws, of virtue, and of freedom. My ashes shall not 
be covered by a free and holy earth ; but I shall have 
desired it ; and my last breath shall bear to heaven 
an ejaculation for thy posterity." Thus do these 
historical incidents rush to our memory, while stand- 
ing in Independence Hall. Few places there are 
sufficiently impressive to remind us of their associa- 
tions, but 

** This is the sacred fane wherein assembled 

The fearless champions on the side of Right — 
Men at whose Declaration empires trembled, 

Moved by the Truth's clear and eternal light. 
TJiis is the hallowed spot where first, unfurling, 

Fair Freedom spread her blazing scroll of light — 
Here from Oppression's throne the tyrant hurKng, 

She stood supreme in majesty and might." 

And as we send our memories back along the ''ring- 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 65 

ing aisles of time," the forms of those departed heroes, 
whose labors and fortunes were devoted to the estab- 
lishment of our institutions, rise up in living realities 
before us, and Ave feel that, 

"Such were the men of old, whose tempered blades 
Dispersed the shackles of iisurp'd control, 
And hew'd them link from link. 
* * -^^ * •>:• They felt a filial heart 
Beat high within them at a mother's wrongs ; 
And shining each in his domestic sphere, 
Shone brighter still when called to public view." 

Yes, those great men have passed from the busy, 
bustling throng of human action, but the spirit they 
impressed upon their descendants and those who have 
followed, will never become extinct. Their dust is 
encircled with Avreaths of never-Avithering laurels, 
whicli freshen in eternal bloom, and grow luxuriantly 
on their lowly sepulchres ! " May the flame kindled 
on the national altar in the first true Hall of Freedom, 
to illuminate and consecrate the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence, in America," burn with inextinguishable 
splendor, quicken every tardy pulse with patriotic 
zeal, and blast to cinders every tyrant's accursed 
throne ! that here our children and brethren in future 
years, from their homes far away on the shores of the 
Pacific, may come and meditate among the scenes 
and associations of our ancestors' labors, undisturbed 
by the acts or intrusions of despotism's hirelings, and 
by musing on the past, gather strength for future 
action 1 

ft* 



66 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 



CHAPTER IV. 

INDEPENDENCE SQUAKE. 

"Still o'er these scenes my memory wakes, 

And fondly broods with miser care ; 

Time but the impression deeper makes — 

As streams their channels deeper wear." — Burns. 

Inseparably associated with tlie history of Inde- 
pendence Hall are the incidents relative to the enclo- 
sure known as Independence Square. Like Mount 
Yernon — the resting-place of Washington — it excites 
our devotion — warms into a flame the smoldering 
embers of patriotism — recalls many pleasing events 
in the history of days gone by — and thrills us with 
emotions of gratitude. This enclosure is not unlike 
other ensanguined fields whose associations call up 
interesting reminiscences. Hence, we feel the force 
of the remark of Dr. Clarke: — "If there be a spot 
upon earth pre-eminently calculated to awaken the 
solemn sentiments, which such a view of nature is 
fitted to make upon all men, it may surely be found 
in the plain of Marathon ; where, amidst the wreck 
of generations, and the graves of ancient heroes, we 
elevate our thoughts toward Him, ' in whose sight a 
thousand years are but as yesterday ;' where the still- 
ness of Nature, harmonizing with the calm solitude 
of that illustrious region, which once was the scene 
of the most agitated passions, enables us, by the past, to 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 67 

determine of the future. In those moments, indeed, we 
may be said to live for ages ; a single instant, by the 
multitude of impressions it conveys, seems to antici- 
pate for us a sense of that eternity when time shall be 
no more ; when the fitful dream of human existence, 
with all its turbulent illusions, shall be dispelled ; and 
the last sun having set, in the last of the world, a 
brighter dawn than ever gladdened the universe shall 
renovate the dominions of darkness and of death." 

To the patriotic inhabitants of the United States, 
associations of local character exert powerful influ- 
ences in the formation of their nationality ; and no- 
where is this power felt more vigorously than in the 
precincts of Independence Hall. Here ''collisions 
with a m.ightier foe, and deeds of daring put forth 
for richer conquests," took place, than when heroic 
Greeks grappled with the mighty hosts of Persia. A 
greater principle was here evolved, and a more 
important problem elucidated, than had ever be- 
fore been presented to human consideration. When 
the shepherds heard the glad tidings that a Eedeemer 
had been born in Bethlehem, their hearts leaped for 
joy, because they realized that in his birth, old cere- 
monies and creeds which had long characterized the 
Mosaic Dispensation, would be displaced by new and 
more tolerant religious principles and forms. They 
knew the period had come — foretold by Prophets of 
old — to which the eyes of the world had been directed 
for centuries, with wonderful anxiety — a period when, 
it had been announced, " old things should pass away, 
and all things become new"- when the curse should 
be removed, and the serpent's head bruised ; and the 
watchful shepherds on the hills of Judea, caught up 



68 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

the song of the Avise men of the East, from the valleys 
of Palestine.; and with one deep ecstatic chorus joined 
the exultation : 

"Hither, je faithful, haste with songs of triumph 
To Bethlehem, the Lord of life to meet — 
To you, this day, is Lorn a Prince and Saviour; 
Oh come, and let us worship at his feet !" 

The period when those circumstances occurred in the 
history of religious events, marked a decided epoch 
in the annals of mankind. But, " when in the course 
of human events, it became necessary for our people 
to dissolve the political bands" connecting them with 
others, " and to assume among the powers of the earth, 
separate and equal station — to which the laws of Na- 
ture and of Nature's God entitled them" — commenced 
the beginning of an era from which the disenthralment 
of mankind from arbitrary bondage was to be the 
legitimate consequence, the joyful shout of the shep- 
herds, 

" To you^ this day, is born a Prince and Saviour," 

sounded no more impressively glorious in the Orient 
than did the proclamation in " Independence Square," 
that " These United Colonies are, and of rio'ht ouo-ht 
to be free and Independent States !" when a final 
separation from the authority of Great Britain had 
been resolved. That moment Avas heralded to the 
world, as the bell on the Old State House rang out 
its thunder tones, and reverberated among the moun- 
tains and valleys of the " Thirteen Colonies" a ^jrz^i- 
ciple deep and sufficiently comprehensive to embrace 
all mankind. That moment marked a new era in the 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 69 

progress of human affairs — arraj^ed freedom of con- 
sr-ience, liberty of thought, and the right of speech 
against dogmatical forms of usurpation, intolerance 
and despotism. No body of men had ever before ex- 
hibited boldness enough to assert a platform of nation- 
ality half so liberal and half so great. 

It is asserted that long before and at the time the 
State House was erected, the " State House Yard," or 
the grounds now enclosed in this area, were exceed- 
ingly uneven, upon which whortleberry and other 
bushes grew quite profusely. The spot was con- 
siderably more elevated than its present appearance 
indicates. That side of it along the line of Walnut 
street is still remembered to have been depressed and 
low, and some of the earlier settlers had erected a num- 
ber of residences on it. After the erection of the State 
House, these residences were torn down. Originally, 
this Square was only half its present size, being 896 
feet on Chestnut street and the back line,, 265 feet on 
Sixth and Fifth streets. This measurement gave the 
area 10,098 square feet, making 2 acres, 1 rood, lOJ 
perches. In this condition the Square remained until 
the year 1760, when that portion of it fronting on 
Walnut street was pu.rchased. This added exactly 
one-half to its dimensions, and it now contains, by 
actual survey, 4 acres, 2 roods, and 21 perches, or 
201,960 square feet — being 396 feet on Walnut and 
Chestnut streets, and 510 feet on Fifth and Sixth 
streets. Improvements were subsequently made to 
the Square, the rough surface removed, and the entire 
area enclosed with a high substantial brick wall. In 
the centre, on the Walnut street side of the Square, 
an antique gate was constructed with a brick structure 



70 INDEFEXDP]NCE HALL I 

over it/" as a sort of ornament. About that period, 
on tlie line of Sixth street, there stood against the wall 
a long row of sheds, placed there for the purpose of 
securing and feeding horses belonging to the country 
folk, who came to the city to attend to the business of 
the Courts, and on other occasions. These sheds, how- 
ever, were appropriated for various other purposes, and 
formed excellent loitering places for the Indians, who 
frequently came to the city on trafficking expeditions, 
and where they often were found in a state of intoxi- 
cation after too much Bacchanalian indulgence. It 
was among a party of Indians, on such an occasion, 
that Thomas Bradford, a noted man of that day, saw 
King Hendrick, a celebrated chieftain. This incident 
•occurred a little while before he was killed at Lake 
George, in the company of Sir William Johnson. A 
few years afterward, however, these sheds were ap- 
propriated and used for artillery ranges, the main en- 
trance to which Avas on the side of Chestnut street. 

For several years after its enclosure by the brick 
wall, this Square remained unembellished by any 
thing of an artistic character— the pride and taste of 
the citizens refusing to beautify it, even by the re- 
moval of many objectionable natural features. But 
during the year 1784, a gentleman of respectability 
and great personal note, named Yaughan,t who had 
fixed upon Philadelphia as a place of residence, re- 
solved to improve and render the grounds more at- 
tractive. The expense was solely borne by himself, 
but his efforts, thus directed, will be regarded as 

* Placed there by a gentleman named Joseph Fox. 

t Father of the late John Vaughan, Esq. — Wafso7i's Annals. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 71 

worthy of emulation for many succeeding generations. 
He carefully prepared tlie grounds by rendering its 
topographical appearance more suitable for the pur- 
poses to which it was intended — a resort for the people 
— and then selected choice trees, which he planted in 
profusion and great variety. As a natural conse- 
quence, many of the trees thus planted, being trans- 
ferred from their primitive soils to new ones, unable 
to obtain the necessary pabulum, drooped and de- 
cayed, and were replaced by others. Many of the 
stately elm trees which Mr. Vaughan had been careful 
in keeping alive, had their foliage annuall}^ destroyed 
by swarms of Lepidopterous insects, which had become 
so numerous and annoying to the citizens, that the 
trees were finally cut down to abate the nuisance. 
After the Square had been improved, and rendered 
more like the Parks of the East, it gradually became 
a place of much resort, and with a view to accommo- 
date the citizens during their promenades, Windsor 
settees and chairs were liberally distributed in it as 
seats on which to rest, and enjoy the coolness of that 
rural retreat, in summer, when each felt like passing 
a few hours, 

" Stre tolled in the sliade of those old trees, 
Watching the sunshine like a blessing fall — 
The breeze-like music wandering o'er the boughs; 
Each tree a natural harp — each different leaf 
A different note, blent in one vast thanksgiving." 

Pre-eminently calculated to attract the fashionable 
and virtuous to its umbrageous avenues, thousands 
resorted hither for pleasurable recreation. But in 
this respect it soon began to grow less inviting ; the 
dissolute and tavern frequenters congregated in it to 



72 INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

such an extent tliat tlie more respectable citizens re- 
fused to walk tliere after the shadows of evening had 
fallen. So that, "in spite of public interest to the 
contrary, it ran into disesteem among the better part 
of society." Mr. Bradford says that efforts were made 
to restore its lost credit ; the seats were removed, and 
loungers were spoken of as trespassers; but the 
remedy came too late ; good company had deserted it. 
and the tide of fashion did not again set in its favor. 
We deeply regret that the reputation of the Square, 
in this respect, has not from that day to the present, 
been improved. We are unable to give the number 
of trees in the State House Yard at the time of which 
we write, there being no accessible data at hand ; but at 
the present writing there are two hundred and ten of 
various kinds, whose umbrageous arms interlock, and 
form a canopy of verdure, through which numerous 
squirrels gambol, and among which the birds twitter, 
and build their nests. Among these stately sentinels 
of the Square there are several varieties, the horse- 
chestnut, elm, maple, buttonwood, &c., and but one 
small evergreen. 

The name of this Square, after the Declaration of 
Independence was signed, was changed from that of 
the " State House Yard" to a more appropriate and 
suggestive one, ''Independence Squared This was done 
for the purpose of harmonizing its appellation with 
that of the Hall, which received its new name at the 
same time. The Square is approachable by eight dif- 
ferent gates, one of which is through the main en- 
trance to Independence Hall. On entering the Square, 
through this Hall, the attention of the stranger cannot 
fail to be attracted by the dissimilarity of the archi- 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 73 

tecfcural appearance of the door-way with every other 
part of the buildmg. This dissimilarity occurred in 
the following way : when the wood- work to the Hall 
was ordered to be changed for the purpose of modern- 
izing its style, the carpenter employed to do it con- 
structed the door- way after a plan of his own se- 
lection, and he made it conform to the entrance of St. 
James's Church. When the Hall was restored to its 
original style of architecture, the pillars, lintels, &c., 
were allowed to remain unchanged, and lience the dis- 
similarity. Propriety and good taste ought to have 
induced those who had the charge of rechanging the 
plan to make every part of the building conform to 
its primitive style. The other entrances to the Square 
are — one on each side of the State House, one on Fifth, 
one at the southwest corner of Fifth and Walnut 
streets, one on Walnut, one at the southeast corner of 
Walnut and Sixth streets, and one on Sixth street. 
The Square is appropriately laid off in walks crossing 
each other at right angles, with a serpentine footway 
around the outer-edge. After the improvements, 
alluded to above, had been made, and the trees"^ as- 
sumed a thrifty appearance, public taste demanded 
the removal of the sombre and dismal brick wall 
around the Square, and the erection of a new and 
more tasteful one. Accordingly, it was resolved that 
the Square should be surrounded with an iron-railing 
sufficiently massive and high to protect the grass- 
plats, trees, and shrubbery from outside intrusion ; 
and the graceful iron palisades which enclose it at 

* Dr. James Mease, who was active in superintending the 
planting of trees before the State House, and also in the Public 
Squares. — Vide Watson^ s Annals. 



74 INTDEPENDENCE HALL: 

this time, were erected. They gave general satis- 
faction at that time, and are still objects of admiration. 

For many years past Independence Square has 
been used by politicians of various parties as a place 
in which to hold public meetings. Consecrated as it 
is to patriotic sentiment, it is considered peculiarly 
appropriate for enthusiastic demonstrations. But hoAV 
strangely different do individuals regard the hallowed 
associations the history of this area is calculated to 
inspire ! Plere, within the enclosure of Independence 
Square, in full view of the sacred bell that thundered 
to the world the declaration of human liberty, dis- 
loj^al partisans have uttered declamations unbecoming 
American citizens ; and here, too, have been pro- 
claimed patriotic sentiments which shall burn with in- 
extinguishable ardor — spread a divine glow of pa- 
triotism over the feelings of the people — quicken the 
pulse of GYery true American, and cause tyranny and 
demagogues to tremble. With all these past reminis- 
cences to create a feeling of reverence for Inde- 
pendence Square, there have been measures projected 
which, when fally carried out, will add immensely to 
the inspirations of the place — the erection of a monu- 
ment, or monuments, in commemoration of the "Decla- 
ration of Independence," and in honor of the signers 
thereof This patriotic subject was first conceived and 
acted upon by A. G. Watek^fan, Esq., of Phila- 
delphia, who, on the 25th of September, 1851, sub- 
mitted the following preamble and resolutions, which 
were accepted by the Select and Common Councils. 

" The spot on which the Congress of the American 
Colonies declared their Independence, should be dear 
to the whole nation to which that act gave birth. It 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 75 

is hallowed not only by tlie heroism of the men, who, 
in the name of a small and scattered people, renounced 
the rule of a powerful king, but by the first formal 
promulgation of the principles of popular liberty, 
which are the inheritance of our great Republic, and 
the guide and hope of the friends of man throughout 
the world. Viewed with this reference, the Hall of 
the old State House of the colony of Pennsylvania 
may take precedence in interest of every other edifice, 
ancient or modern. In it assembled the Apostles of 
Political Freedom. In it, calling God to witness the 
truth of their cause, they pledged their lives to that 
Revelation of Rights, from the progress of which, in 
the brief period of human life, Ave are assured that in 
due time it will embrace the convictions, and secure 
the happiness of the whole family of mankind. It is 
assumed, therefore, that the Thirteen States of 1776 
feel a common special pride in the alliance of their 
names with the Declaration of Independence — with 
the wisdom which conceived it, the valor which re- 
solved it, the glory which still confirms it ; and that 
they will unite in further consecrating the place of 
its adoption, by memorials worthy of the act of its 
authors. Entertaining these views, be it, and it is 
hereby 

Resolved, By the Select and Common Councils of 
the City of Philadelphia — 

First, That it is expedient to have erected in the 
grove belonging to the Hall in which the National 
Independence was declared, one or more monuments, 
commemorative respectively of the States and of the 
men, parties to that glorious event. 

Secondly, That in order to accomplish this patriotic 



76 INDEPEXDEXCE HALL: 

design, the Presidents of Select and Common Councils 
are hereby directed to furnish a copj of these pro- 
ceedings to, and memorialize the Legislatures of the 
States of Massachusetts, N. Hampshire, Ehode Island, 
Connecticut, New York, Ne^Y Jersey, Pennsylvania, 
Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South 
Carolina and Georgia, suggesting to these Legislatures 
to appoint each two delegates to a Convention to as- 
semble in Independence Hall on the 4th day of July, 
1852, as guests of the City of Philadelphia, there to 
deliberate upon a plan of carrying into effect this 
proposition in a manner becoming the m^eans of their 
constituents, and the memories of the illustrious dead. 

Thirdly, That in the event of this proposition 
having a favorable response from the States addressed, 
the Select and Common Councils of the City of Phila- 
delphia, in the name of the citizens, are pledged to 
hold the grounds of Independence Hall free from all 
encroachments upon the monuments to be erected, 
and to guard the same equally with the Hall itself, as 
a sacred and national trust forever." 

These resolutions were patriotically calculated to 
excite a wide-spread and general sentiment in favor 
of the enterprise ; and on the 7th of October, 1852, the 
Councils of Philadelphia passed other resolutions, 
designating the necessary legal steps in order to make 
their action permanent and invested with suitable 
powers. A committee was appointed to draw up an 
address to the Legislatures of the " Old Thirteen States," 
soliciting the enactment of laws to assist in the erection 
of the Memorial, from which we extract. 

''Our purpose in now addressing you, is to solicit 
your hearty co-operation in the execution of this 



ITS HISTOEY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 77 

design. That event ushered a neAV member into the 
family of nations, and electrified all Europe. It 
opened a new revelation of liberty, and changed the 
relations of people and government, by teaching the 
one how to resist and conquer oppression, and the 
other the absolute necessity to its own continuance, 
of recognizing and respecting the rights of humanity. 
From that time forth, a new, vital, and quickening 
spirit has pervaded the world. Thrones have been 
shaken, empires have been overturned, society has 
been convulsed, blood and carnage have desolated the 
earth — but still the intelligence and soul of tlie people 
of all Christendom have been revivified, elevated and 
expanded to a .comprehension of their rights, which 
will never be obliterated nor forgotten, but will ad- 
vance, enlarge and increase, until that moral and 
social preparation for the appreciation and enjoyment 
of liberty shall be effected, which in the Divine 
economy is so indispensable to the permanence of free 
institutions. While such have been the results abroad 
of that mighty movement which the fullness of time 
developed after a century of preparation, how can 
human language describe the vast consequ.ences which 
have flowed from it in this favored land ? To what 
point shall we look without finding overwhelming 
evidences of its all-powerful influences? Thirty-one 
free, happy, and independent sovereign States, created 
out of thirteen struggling and depressed colonies, 
governed by laws to which they never assented, by 
tyrannical ministers who regarded them as valuable 
only on account of the opportunity they afforded of 
extending power and patronage, their trade and com- 
merce shackled by oppressive restrictions, and their 



78 IXDKPENDEXCE HALL: 

prosperity checked by petty jealousy ; a population 
of nearly twenty -five millions of inhabitants, rejoicing 
in moral, social, religious, and commercial prosperity, 
springing from only three millions scarcely able to 
maintain existence ; a Territory watered by the At- 
lantic and the Pacific, and every sea whitened by our 
canvas — respected, honored, and feared by the nations 
of the earth — overflowing with wealth, and exuberant 
in all the elements of prosperity and liappiness — 
where, Avhere on the face of this globe is there a 
country with which Ave would exchange conditions? 
To whom and to what are we indebted for these price- 
less blessings ? To an overruling Providence, and to 
the men who framed, who declared, and who achieved 
our Independence. Our hearts ache with the desire 
to do something to testify our gratitude, our venera- 
tion, and to prove that Ave are not unAVorthy of such 
a heritage. Have Ave no lesson to teach our children 
and their children's children ? Shall they not be per- 
petually reminded of the goodness of God, and the 
self-sacrificing bravery and devotion of their ancestors? 
Shall they not have one national shrine of patriotism 
to Avhich all, Avithout distinction of creed or opinion, 
can repair, and unitedly, Avith one heart and one soul, 
pour out their thanksgiving and their love? "We are 
so constituted by our Creator that visible signs and 
representations are necessary to aAvaken our sensibili- 
ties, to stimulate our affections, and to nerve our 
resolutions. As the third generation of that posterity 
for Avhom the men of the Ke volution chiefly labored, 
and suffered, and died, it is peculiarly fitting that Ave 
should erect such representations of their great and 
controlling acts as shall speak to our OAvn hearts, to 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 79 

our children's hearts, and shall testify to God and tlie 
world that we appreciate and reverence^ and Avould 
cultivate and disseminate the mighty truths and prin- 
ciples which brought our nation into existence, which 
constitute its very life, and of which it seems designed 
by Providence to be the special defender and pro- 
tector. How can liberty dwell in a country that re- 
presses the outward marks of homage and reverence 
for its principles ? It is one of the most solemn and 
imperative duties, which we may not neglect with im- 
punity, to watch the sacramental flame of liberty, to 
feed it constantly with the aliment necessary to its ex- 
istence, to keep it bright and glorious, and to deliver 
it to our successors with the charge, that as they claim 
the benefits of its hallowed influences, so will they 
preserve and maintain it. To these ends the pro- 
posed monument will exercise a powerful influence. 
Paltry, in comparison with our ability, as will be the 
cost, its value will consist in its consecration of a great 
principle, the divine right of a people to redress their 
Avrongs and achieve their liberty, and to establish 
such government as their circumstances may require, 
and they may be able to maintain." 

The plan of the monument was intended to repre- 
sent the " Thirteen States," by a shaft having thirteen 
sides or faces, one of which is to be appropriated to 
the devices which its respective State may deem 
proper to place upon it. This shaft or column is to 
be united by an entablature, upon which the Declara- 
tion of Independence shall be cut into the solid stone, 
and surmounted by a tower. The thirteen faces are 
to contain such inscriptions and emblazonings as each 
State shall direct, commemorative of some citizen or 



80 INDEPENDENCE HALL : 

citizens of lier own, who took part in the responsi- 
bility of that Decharation. Nearly all the States have 
taken some measures in regard to this National shrine, 
and have decided to assist in its erection. So that, 
in all probability, the work of its erection will com- 
mence at no distant day, and be prosecuted vigorously 
to completion. 




THE OLD STATE nOUSF. BELL, 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 81 



CHAPTER V. 

THE OLD STATE HOUSE BELL. 

"The old State House Bell— time-hallow'd Bell— 
Thy magic tones were first to tell 
In thunder peals, a nation free !" 

Whoever has visited Independence Hall for the 
purpose of contemplating tliose relics of tlie past 
which are here preserved, and to muse on associations 
surrounding this holy shrine, must have felt an inde- 
scribable and irresistible reverence gently take pos- 
session of his meditations, while standing beside that 
greatest of all orators the world ever knew or heard — 
''the Old State House Bell I" Its tongue is now 
still, and its voice is silent ; its sides look dark and 
heav}^, and a perceptible corrosion is indicated by 
chemical action of the atmosphere on its surface — but 
the peals it thundered over the land on the Fourth of 
July, 1776^ ring with as much potency — excite as 
deep patriotism — awaken as strong emotions — fill the 
soul with as fervent love of country — inspire as holy 
sentiments — and thrill with as warm a gloAV the chil- 
dren of those noble patriots whose deeds gave direc- 
tion to its voice, as when it proclaimed '' Libert ij 
throughout the land and to all the inhahitants thereof T 
Its vibrations still reverberate through the room in 
which it is placed— the air is yet tremulous with its 
echoes ; although the hand that rung it on that memo- 



82 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

rable occasion is stiff in the icy embrace of death — ■ 
ttie gray-headed patriot who anxiously awaited with 
trembling hope in the belfry the signing of that 
Declaration, whose ejaculations — "■ They'll Jiever do it ! 
Theijll never do itr whose eyes dilated, whose form ex- 
panded, and whose grasp grew firmer when the voice 
of the blue-eyed youth reached his ears in shouts of 
triumph — " Ring I King ! they have signed, and our 
country is free !" has been long since gathered to his 
fathers — the events of that day will commemorate his 
honor to all coming time. No patriot can look upon 
this bell without recalling the circumstances connected 
with its first proclamation to the world, that the 
United Colonies were '' free and independent States." 
No patriot can fail to recall to his memory the effect 
which that announcement produced on the anxious 
multitude below. To some, it gave the first thrill of 
enthusiastic resistance to despotic power — to some it 
was a harbinger of joy — to others it imparted strength 
in the hour of gloom — to others again, it was a mes- 
senger of evil, causing them to sneak away, muttering 
as they did so — " Well, ive are in a jiretty mess of trouble 
now r But the same patriot, passing over the history 
of five years, will also remember in connection with 
these facts, that on the 23d of October, 1781, in the 
boding hour of night, a very different proclamation 
was heard in the same vicinity : — " Past twelve o^cloch, 
and Cornvcallis is taken P'' Then might be seen mothers, 
and daughters, and sisters, and brothers, hastening to 
the windows, in dreamy abstractions of delight, joy- 
fully exclaiming, ^' Who is taken P while the watch- 
man plodded on his way, shouting continually, ^^ Why, 
Cornwallis ! he was taken by Washington and La- 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 88 

fayette, at YorktoAvn, Ya. ! Past 12 o'clock, and 
Cornwallis is taken I" Tlie bells rung out the glad 
tidings ; the city was illuminated, and jubilant shouts 
gave evidence of unbounded joy. The "pretty mess 
of trouble" which the sound of the " Old State House 
Bell" had plunged the people into, had been success- 
fully overcome, the barque had safely weathered the 
storm, the invincibility of despotism was broken, the 
Colonies were/ree. The remainder of that night the 
eyes of the people were sleepless ; friend congratulated 
friend, and united prayers of gratefulness ascended to 
the throne of the God of battles. Who would not, 
then, have been on the side of liberty ? Who did not 
then feel that the cause of those struggling patriots 
was good ? There were none to say, " We are in a 
pretty mess of trouble now." No ! the sword of the 
tyrant was broken, and freedom stood a towering 
prodigy before the eyes of an astonished world ! His- 
tory has, however, preserved less of the incidents con- 
nected with this bell than the citizens of the country 
desire — the only importance attached to it having 
been created in consequence of the purposes to which 
it was applied during the revolutionary struggles of 
our ancestors, and the prophetic inscription it con- 
tained. 



Circled tlie world in its embrace — 
'Twas * liberty throughout the land, 

And good to all their brother race !' 
Long here, within, the pilgrim's bell 

Had llnger'd— though it often pealed — 
Those treasured tones, that erst should tell 

When freedom's proudest scroll was sealed! 



84 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

Here, tlie dawn of reason broke 

Upon the trampled riglits of man ; 
And here a moral era woke — 

The brightest since the world began ! 
And still shall deep and lond acclaim 

Here tremble on its sacred chime — 
While e'er the thrilling trump of Fame 

Shall linger on the pulse of Time !" 

After the completion of the State House in 1734. 
measures were set on foot to secure means and funds 
sufficient to place in the dome a bell appropriate for 
the building. As they had already supplied a great 
public necessity, by placing a dock in the west end — 
not in the sieei:)le, as Harper's Magazine represents it — 
many influential citizens opposed the measure, on 
the ground of extravagance, arguing that the ''great 
cost of the State House had imposed a heavy tax upon 
the citizens, and further expenditure was useless." 
The better judgment of the people, however, after 
several years, prevailed, and it was decided to have a 
bell. But another great and discouraging difficulty 
met the speedy accomplishment of their purposes. 
There had been but little molding and casting effected 
in the Colonies, in consequence of the home govern- 
ment monopolizing almost exclusively every depart- 
ment of manufacturing, thereby subjecting their sub- 
jects in the New World to depend upon the mills, 
looms, and furnaces of England for a supply of such 
articles as Parliament might ilmik proper for them to 
have. It became necessary, therefore, to submit to 
the inconvenience, trouble, and delay, of sending to 
London for a bell. This was done. The size, pecu- 
liar shape, vv^eight,'^ motto, and thickness, were accu- 

■■■• The weight of the bell was 2030 pounds. 



ITS HISTORY ANTIJ ASSOCIATION'S. 85 

rately mentioned, as directions for casting it, and the 
order was sent in the latter part of the year 1750. 
About a year would elapse before they could reason- 
ably expect the bell to reach this country. Tt came 
at last, in 1752, and before it was landed from the 
ship, hundreds of citizens repaired to the vessel to ex- 
amine it, and congratulate the city on its safe arrival. 
The tone was clear, distinct and forcible, well cal- 
culated to inspire feelings of pride in those enterprising 
citizens, who had been chiefly instrumental in pro- 
curing it. But their high anticipations were doomed 
to meet a sad disappointment. A day or two after its 
arrival, while removing it from the vessel to the place 
for which it was intended, it met with an accident, by 
which its tones were rendered discordant, the beauty 
of its appearance mutilated, and its uses almost de- 
stroyed. In fact, the bell had to be recast, and it was 
decided that an experiment should be made in the 
city. Accordingly the task was assigned to Messrs. 
Pass & Stow, who were to perform the operation, un- 
der the superintendence of Isaac jST orris, Esq., Speaker 
of the Colonial Assembly. To that gentleman is as- 
cribed the honor of having originally suggested the 
motto, ''Proclaim Liberty throughout the land, and 
to all the inhabitants thereof," which the bell contains, 
and which proved so prophetic of its future use. In 
regard to the ncAV bell cast by Messrs. "Pass & Stow," 
Mr. Norris remarked that — " they have made a good 
bell, which pleases me much that we should yi;\9/ ven- 
ture upon and succeed in the greatest bell, for aught 
I know, in English America — surpassing, too, the im- 
ported one, Avhich was too high and brittle." No 
doubt such were the facts, especially in reference to 
8 



8^ INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

the last part of Mr. Norris's remarks, and in that re- 
spect, also, the bell was significantly emblematical. 
Efforts were made to restore the bell to its orie^inal 
sound by boring holes into it, but the attempt proved 
unavailino^. 

Such is the brief history of the origin of the " Old 
State House Bell ;" and it is to be reo^retted that no 
more definite reminiscences connected with it have 
been preserved. Daring the struggle for that Inde- 
pendence and Freedom which was proclaimed by this 
bell, while tlie British threatened to take and occupy 
Philadelphia, this bell, together with that belonging 
to Christ Church, was taken down, and conveyed to 
the river, near Trenton, Avhere they were buried in 
the water, in order to prevent them from falling into 
the hands of their enemies. In this condition they 
remained from' 1777 to the close of the American 
Revolution, when they were brought back to the city, 
and placed in their former situations. The bell was 
always an object of great admiration, and attracted 
thousands from every part of the Union to see it. 
But little attention, however, was manifested by the 
authorities of the city, into whose hands has since 
been assigned the preservation of this holy place, in 
keeping the relics in good order, until 1854, when 
that body ordered the Hall of Independence to be 
fitted up in a style commensurate with the impressive 
character and associations connected with it. This 
bell was, therefore, placed upon a pedestal having 
thirteen sides, representing the number of States that 
confederated for the accomplishment of Freedom, with 
the American Flag gracefully folded above and around 
it. A spread Effgle sits upon the bell, holding in its 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 87 

beak the E Plurihus Unum of the land, and in its 
talons the emblems of our greatness and invincibility; 
while its piercing eye penetrates the surrounding era 
in patriotic watchfulness of our country's interests. 
Who can gaze upon that proud bird, and not feel that 
he is our country's symbolic guardian ? 

"An emblem of Freedom, stern, hauglity, and "high, 
Is the gray forest eagle, that king of the sky ! 
It scorns the bright scenes — the gay places of earth — 
By the mountain and toi-rent it springs into birth ; 
There rocked by the whirlwind, baptized in the foam, 
It is guarded and cherish'd, and there is its home ! 
When its shadow steals black o'er the empires of kings, 
Deep terror, deep heart-stricken terror, it brings : 
Where wicked Oppression is armed for the weak, 
There rustles its pinion, there echoes its shriek : 
Its eye flames with vengeance, it sweeps on its way. 
And its talons are bathed in the blood of its prey ! 
Oh, that Eagle of Freedom, when cloud upon cloud, 
Swathed the sky of my own Native Land with a shroud. 
When lightnings gleam'd fiercely, and thunder-bolts rung. 
How i^roud to the tempest those pinions were flung ! 
Though the wild blast of battle swept fierce through the air 
With darkness and dread, still the eagle was there ; 
Unquailing, still speeding, his swift flight was on. 
Till the rainbow of peace crowned the victory won. 
Oh, that Eagle of Freedom ! age dims not his eye. 
He has seen earth's mortality, spring, bloom and die ! 
He has seen the strong nations, rise, flourish and fall, 
He mocks at Time's changes — he triumphs o'er all : 
He has seen our own land with wild forests o'erspread, 
He sees it with sunshine and joys on its head, 
And, his presence will bless this, his own chosen clime, 
Till the archangel's fiat is set upon time." 

As a relic of the past, the ^' Old State House Bell" 
must ever remain a hallowed memento. He whose 
heart thrills with emotions of patriotism must forever 



88 INDEPENDENCE HALL : 

regard it as the first messenger that declared the 
emancipation of tlie Colonies from oppression, and 
that every successful blow struck in the cause of 
Freedom, was inspired by the sound of that Old Bell. 
May the time never come when American freemen 
shall forget to venerate it, and sliield it with their 
life-blood,, if needs be, from destruction and dishonor. 




\TKR10R OF INDEPENDENCE HAI 




BHNJAMIN FRANKMN's OFFICE DESK. 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 



CHAPTER VI. 

WASHINGTON'S STATUE. 

"Bonum virum, facile dixeris, 
Magnum libenter." 

Calmly, ns if gazing upon, the pictures which sur- 
round the walls of Independence Hall, or watching 
the varied emotions of those who come to pay tributes 
of respect to this consecrated shrine, stands the statue 
of George Washington. The sweet serenity resting 
upon his face, interpolated here and there with lines of 
intense thought ; the mild depths of his dreamy eyes, 
in their immovable sockets ; the tranquil smile play- 
ing about his mouth, and the impress of reverence 
everywhere discoverable on his countenance, speak 
in irresistible language the character of the man. 
Bold, and yet affable ; stern, yet tempered with hu- 
manity ; meek, but sensitive to patriotic influences ; 
frank and unconcealing, yet indicating a decision of 
purpose, there stands the ^'Father of his Country," 
pictured in sculptured immortality, every lineament 
of his noble nature glowing Avith patriotism, and 
throwing a halo of glory over his form. In his pres- 
ence, before this piece of inanimate sculpture, lives 
over again the entire history of the country ; our feel- 
ings become intensified, for heroes of the past century 
seem to be looking down upon us. More sublime in 
8" 



90 INJ;EPENDLXCE HALL: 

moral grandeur than tlie Colossus of Rhodes ; more 
chaste and awe-inspiring than the Belvidere Apollo, 
the figure of AYashington is encircled with the radi- 
ance illuminating the history of his own greatness. 
Independence Hall would never have been complete 
without this statue. Its associations would not have 
been half so inspiring, nor the interest attached to it 
half so great, had not the likeness or statue of its 
founder been placed among its holy archives. In more 
than one respect, Washington was a singular man; 
and perhaps this is the most appropriate place, in the 
scope of our work, to sketch a brief biography of him. 
It is no easy task to measure the influences of Wash- 
ington's life upon the people of this country — it was 
great in his own day, and is greater now. Whether 
as Chief Magistrate of the Nation, as Commander-in- 
Chief of the Army, or in the various councils to which 
he Avas constantly called, we find him ever the same 
true, efhcient, noble, and great man! He filled his 
post, whatever it was. Possessed of remarkable 
natural abilities, of rare insight into the characters of 
men, grasping the genius and philosophy of life, its 
events and purposes, his judgment never failed to be 
that of wisdom. He was wise, energetic, and thorough. 
As the first President of the Nation, he was the best. 
In fact, to whom, all things considered, shall we look 
for an equal in his successors, good and great men as 
some of them have been ? He was the people's magis- 
trate—no partisan, but an America?! President of the 
American people. All the views of Washington were 
carefully weighed and considered before he gave utter 
ance to them ; and therefore, in this particular in 
stance, he was a model for all statesmen, warriors, and 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 91 

patriots. Typical of all that is great and good in 
man, he stands forth in his own snblime majesty — the 
pride of an admiring nation. Few men there are of 
any kind, and still fewer of those whom the world 
calls great, who have not some of their virtues eclipsed 
by corresponding vices. But in the particular in- 
stance of General Washington, this was not the case. 
In all his public acts he made the most reverential 
allusions to Providence, and in his private character 
he exhibited religious humility in an eminent degree. 
His equanimity was unparalleled. One even tenor 
marked the greatness of his mind, in all the varied 
scenes through which he passed — in the most trying 
situations he never despaired, nor was he ever de- 
pressed. He was the same Avhen retreating through 
New Jersey before a victorious enemy, with the re- 
mains of his broken army, as when marching in tri- 
umph into Yorktown over its demolished fortifica- 
tions. In Ins character we have a man as nearly per- 
fect as finite beings can become in this world of change 
and dissolution, and the whole range of history does 
not present an individual on whose career through 
life we can dwell with such unmixed admiration. So 
happily blended were his qualities, and so finely were 
i\\Qj harmonized, that the result gave to the world a 
man, who, 

" Take him for all in all, 

We ne'er sliall look upon liis like again." 

In every acceptation of the term, George Washing- 
ton Avas a patriot, a hero, and a man. And AvhiJe we 
stand before this inarticulate representative of one 
who is worthy to be designated the '^ Father of his 



92 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

Country," feelings of profound reverence irresistibly 
come over lis. In imagination we can recall every in- 
cident connected with bis eventful life ; because it is the 
privilege of great men — those men who shape the des- 
tinies of the world, and leave a name conspicuous for 
praise or execration — to place their impress upon all 
things they may touch. The places where such men 
have triumphed, suffered, or even for a time resided, 
are imbued with an interest which no lapse of time can 
obliterate. Who could stand in the long gallery of 
the old palace of Blois, where the great Duke of Guise 
was set upon and assassinated by the guards of Henry 
III., and not represent to himself that fierce tragedy 
which was there enacted so long ago? Who could 
fail to see with the mind's eye, almost as vividly as 
with the veritable retina, the great captive wrestling 
with his murderers — the contortions of his powerful 
frame, as he felt himself mastered and overcome— the 
heavy fall as the poniards pierced his breast — and the 
noble face, pale and dabbled with blood, upon which 
the false Henry gazed even then with scarcely sub- 
dued terror ? The blood is still there, we are told, 
as the blood of Eizzio still stains the floor of Mary's 
room, in Hol3^rood — and that blood rouses for the be- 
holder, from their long sleep, all the fierce passions 
of the actors in the terrible scenes which were there 
pla3^ed by those real-life tragedians. But an interest 
as great attaches to the places where men who have 
ruled the world as captains, statesmen, or writers re- 
sided. We trace, or seem to trace those influences in 
their early surroundings, in the books they read, the 
men with whom they were accustomed to associate ; 
in the very landscapes upon which they were wont to 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 93 

gaze ; and even if only a small portion of tlieir lives 
was passed in a place, if they were temporary visitors 
there, still the all-embracing imagination takes delight 
in restoring the great figure to the landscape, and in 
framing, in the bright, golden past, the noble linea-- 
ments of his face. Sentiments not dissimilar in cha- 
racter inspire ns on visiting every place where Wash- 
ington has been. But nowhere do they so thrill and 
affect the senses as in this sanctuary, dedicated as it 
is to the relics and inspirations of the past. Here we 
remember was played the first act of that grand and 
wonderful drama which attracted to itself the eyes of 
the whole world — and here we can gaze upon the 
heroes who represented the personale of that eventful 
period. We can here almost see the boy of sixteen, 
with his open, noble face, his curling hair, his long 
waistcoat, hanging cuffs, cocked hat, and ruffles, 
mounted on his good riding steed, and fording the 
Shenandoah, as he did in his youthful days, when on 
hunting or surveying expeditions. By a single effort 
of the imagination, all the incidents connected Avith 
him are called into activity ; and from the time of his 
expedition to the West and Braddock's defeat, history 
begins to busy itself with Washington. But history 
has never told half of the incidents of his life. Here, 
in this Hall, we see the image of that great man — a 
most venerable and eloquent relic of the past ! What 
American standing before it, and tracing with a glance 
the boundaries of Washington's active labors, but 
feels in his heart the tumultuous surge of thought 
sweeping from the heroic past to the prosaic present, 
and washing away all images and objects, except that 
single lordly form ! 1 have stood here at evening, 



94 INDEPENDENCE HALL I 

when the red sun-set of the west cast its faint and 
tlioughtful rays on tlie trees in Independence Square, 
and have felt as though the spirit of the past touched 
me Avith its magic wand, and caused to rise up and 
• defile in a long, glittering line, before me, all the stal- 
Avart figures Avhich illustrated and made glorious those 
old heroic times^ so filled Avith grandeur, self-denial, 
and self-sacrificing, patriotic devotion. And among 
that glittering throng I have seen one figure rise pre- 
eminent above its companions, first in Avar, as first in 
peace — equal to every emergency ! What a vast 
genius ! What a splendid, unparalleled career ! The 
mind is lost in Avonder Avhen contemplating that man 
and his great life, so brimful of vicissitudes and 
triumphs ! 

It may, perhaps, be venturing too much to say that 
the American Colonies would have failed to achieve 
their independence under other leaders than those 
AAdiich Providence fitted and prepared for the occa- 
sion ; but Ave firmly believe that Geokge Washing- 
ton was the only man Avho could have conducted the 
RcA^olution to as grand and glorious an issue in so 
short a period, and with so inconsiderable a loss, 
when the virulence of the contest is taken into con- 
sideration. On this point in the character of Wash- 
ington, some one, unknoAvn to me, has truthfully re- 
marked : "To a thinkino; mind, the Providence of 
God here lies everyAvherc potent and manifest to the 
most careless eye. Early Avandcrings in the rugged 
Avilds of the Alleghenies — the crossing deep rivers on 
rafts — the exposure to heat and cold, Avind and rain — 
was not the hardness thus acquired of signal advan- 
tage to the chief when in that glorious retreat through 



ITS HISTOK\ AND ASSOCIATIONS. 95 

New Jersey, the elements seemed to fight against him 
and his poor barefooted soldiers ! That long agony 
at Winchester, with the whole frontier calling to him 
for assistance — assistance against the dreadful foe who 
murdered all they met, men, women and children — 
was not that anguish, that awful responsibility, sent 
by Providence to harden the commander Avho was to 
guide the destiny of America — to assume, as the heart 
and brain of the Revolution, the weight of our almost 
desperate fortunes ? It was Providence which shaped 
that lordly character, perfected that vast strength for 
a definite end ; which gave to tlie man George Wash- 
ington the indomitable soul, the sleepless energy, 
which were indispensable in the leader of the Ameri- 
can Revolution, What other man in all that eminent 
throng, but would have ^despaired of the Republic' 
He never despaired ; but went straight on like destiny 
— a marvel to his friends and associates, a terror to 
his foes — and with stern, impassive calmness bore all, 
complained of nothing, and finally saAV dawn and rise 
in meridian brightness that glorious triumph, which 
his splendid genius shaped and made so perfect." 
Such Avas the career of that great man, before whose 
statue in Independence Hall — placed there by Mr. 
Rush — the sensitive mind loves to ponder. And was 
he not, in truth, a great genius ? was not his a won- 
derful, gigantic life — a career hitherto unheard of, and 
never since equaled ? — a pattern of self-sacrificing 
patriotism and personal dignity Avorthy of emulation 
by all ? Young, patriotic Americans, go imitate liis 
example, and our country can never be endangered. 



^ INDEPENDENCE HALL 



CHAPTEE YII. 

ALEXANDER HAMILTON. 

"Lives of all great men remind us 

We can make our lives sublime, 
And departing, leave beliind us 

Footprints on the sands of time ; 
Footsteps tliat perhaps another. 

Sailing o'er life's solemn main, 
A forlorn and shipwrecked brotehr, 

Seeing, shall take heart again." — Longfellow. 

In tracing our brief biograpliy of George Wash- 
ington in the preceding chapter, we necessarily 
touched upon a subject requiring an historical por- 
traiture of one who, it seems to us, was but another 
Washinsrton in the struo-o-le for freedom. And more 
particularly is this necessary — because Alexander 
Hamilton fought side by side, and suffered the priva- 
tions incideut to that memorable struggle, with him ; 
and now, in old Independence Hall, placed almost 
side by side, hang the two portraits of these great and 
noble men. And while we stand near him, and gaze 
upon his living picture, our minds immediately revert 
back to the period when he, in company with the 
Commander-in-Chief of the American army, led the 
distracted and forlorn soldiers from post to post to 
defend the land against depredations of the enemy ; 
and we are. led involuntarily to exclaim that next to 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 97 

Washington, no name shines more conspicuously than 
that of Alexander Hamilton. The Island of Nevis, 
one of the most beautiful of the West Indies, had the 
honor of being his birth-place, which circumstance 
occurred on the 11th of January, 1757. He was a 
lineal descendant of the noble Huguenots, his father 
being a Scotchman, his mother a French lady. In 
the original source of his blood, this happy blending 
of contrasted elements created a sagacious character, 
and invested him with great decision of purpose and 
execution. Like most men who are destined to be- 
come truly great, young Hamilton was early left to 
buffet adverse storms, and in the midst of difficulties 
to become the architect of his own fortunes. He was 
taken to Santa Cruz by some friends of his mother, 
where the foundation of his j^outhful education was 
first laid. In a very brief period he became suffi- 
ciently acquainted with the French language to speak 
and write it fluently, and the Decalogue lie learned 
to repeat in Hebrew, in a short time, at the school 
of a Jewess. His education at that early age was 
conducted chiefly under the supervision of a Dr. 
Knox, a clergyman of the Presbyterian persuasion. 

In 1769 he was placed' in the counting-house of Mr. 
Nicholas Cruger, a wealthy and highly respectable 
citizen of Santa Cruz. Before he was thirteen years 
old he wrote the following to a young friend at school: 
''I contemn the groveling condition as a clerk, to 
which my fortune condemns me, and would willingly 
risk my life, though not my character, to exalt my 
station ; I mean to prepare the way for futurity." In 
this paragraph gleams the true fire of a noble youth, 
an ardent love of fame and the strongest attachment 
9 



98 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

to imtarnislied integrity, guarantees of splendid suc- 
cess, wliicli, in this instance, was never disproved by 
facts. While he was in Mr. Cruger's employ, every 
hour he could appropriate to himself was devoted to 
the study of mathematics, ethics, chemistry, biography, 
and knowledge of every kind. Even at that early 
moment some of his compositions were published, and 
they attracted such universal attention that some of 
his friends determined to send him to New York, 
Avhere they apprehended better advantages would be 
afforded to the development of his intellectual ambi- 
tion. He arrived in this country in October, 1772, 
and was placed in a grammar-school in New Jersey, 
under the instruction of Francis Barber of Elizabeth- 
town, who afterward became a distinguished officer in 
the American service. Young Hamilton entered 
King's (now Columbia) College, at the close of 1773 
where, his biographer says, he "soon displayed ex- 
traordinary genius and energy of mind." 

He was no ordinary genius, and his aptitude for 
acquiring knowledge was unprecedented. In De- 
cember, 1774, and February, 1775, he wrote, anony- 
mously, several elaborate pamphlets in favor of the 
pacific measures of defense recommended by Congress. 
At that early day he suggested the policy of giving 
encouragement to domestic manufactures, as a sure 
means of lessening external commerce. He insisted 
upon our inalienable right to the steady, uniform, un- 
shaken security of constitutional freedom — to the en- 
joyment of trial by jury — and the right of freedom 
from taxation, except by our own immediate repre- 
sentatives, and that colonial legislation Avas an inhe- 
rent right, never to be abandoned or impaired. In 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 99 

this pamplilet-controversy young Hamilton encoun- 
tered Dr. Cooper, who was then principal of the Col- 
lege, and many of the most distinguished tories of the 
land. When the authorship of the youthful champion 
was proclaimed, all classes were astonished to learn 
such profound principles and wise policy from so 
young an oracle. By his extraordinary writings and 
patriotic influences he early deserved and received 
the appellation of the "Vindicator of Congress." 

At leno;th the difficulties which had threatened the 
Colonies with war between them and the mother 
country, broke out in furious hostility, and the strug- 
gle for emancipation from British domination had 
commenced in good earnest. The letter which an- 
nounced the battle of Lexington, concluded with these 
solemn words — ^^The crimson fountain has opened, 
and Grod only knows when it will be closed." Young 
Hamilton organized a military corps, mostly of stu- 
dents, who practiced their daily drill in the morning 
before the commencement of their college studies. 
They assumed the name of '^Hearts of Oak," and 
wore a green uniform, surmounted by a leathern cap, 
on which was inscribed " Freedom or Death." Early 
and late our young hero was actively engaged, not 
only in promoting measures of resistance, but in 
mastering the science of political economy, the laws 
of commerce, the balance of trade and the circulating 
medium ; so that when these topics became permanent 
matters of speculation, in the light of new organiza- 
tions for the general good, no one was more prompt 
and lucid in his demonstrations than Hamilton. 

He abandoned academic retirement and entered the 
army as Captain of a provincial company of artillery. 



100 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

in March, 1776, and in tliis capacity he brought up 
the rear of the army in the retreat from Long Island. 
He was in the action of White Plains, on the 28tli of 
October, 1776, and with his company of artillery was 
firm and heroical in the retreat through. New Jersey, 
on which occasion he repelled the progress of the 
British troops on the banks of the Raritan. He 
fought at the head of his brave company at Trenton 
and Princeton, and continued in the same command 
until the first of March, 1777, when, having attracted 
the attention of Washington, he Avas appointed his 
aid-de-camp, with the rank of Colonel. From that 
time until February, 1781, he continued the insepar- 
able companion of the Commander-in-Chief, and was 
always consulted by him, and by all the leading func- 
tionaries, on the most important occasions. He acted 
as his first aid at the battles of Brandywine, German- 
town, and Monmouth ; and at his own request, at the 
siege of Yorktown, he led the detachment which 
carried by assault one of the strongest outposts of 
the foe. 

In consequence of the many fine qualities Avhich 
were combined in him, young Hamilton became uni- 
versally esteemed. He was especially useful to George 
Waslnngton, and that great man declared he was 
''his principal and most confidential aid." His accu- 
rate and comprehensive knowledge of military science 
placed him in the first rank of tacticians ; his cour- 
teous manner rendered his general intercourse with 
the army a delight to all ; his familiarity with the 
French language won the especial attachment of all 
the French division of the army, making him the con- 
stant favorite in particular of the Marquis Lafayette 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 101 

and the Baron Steuben. Never, perhaps, in the his- 
tory of nations, was a youth of twenty called to such 
important honors and responsibilities as those which 
Hamilton at that early age was called to assume as 
the private secretary and confidential friend of Greneral 
Washington. On none did the arm of that great man 
lean more habitually for support, than on this erudite 
and patriotic youth, and by no other earthly power 
was he more fortified than by him. He was equally 
at home in the forum or with the pen ; always per- 
spicuous and logical His first political speech to a 
popular assembly was delivered at the " great meet- 
ing in the fields," as it was called, and was occasioned 
by a call to choose delegates to the first Congress, in 
which he insisted on the duty of resistance, pointed 
out the means and certainty of success, and described 
the waves of rebellion sparkling with fire, and wash- 
ing back on the shores of England the wrecks of her 
power, her wealth, and her glory. We can do no 
better than to embody here the subjoined excerpt of 
his history, as written by a distinguished author, the 
Eev. E. L. Magoon. 

" In December, 1780, Hamilton married the second 
daughter of Major-General Schuyler, and in the Feb- 
ruary following, he retired from the family of General 
Washington, to become more completely absorbed in 
forensic toil. He took his seat in Congress in JN'o- 
vember, 1782, and continued there until the autumn 
of 1783. The legislators of that body had many diffi- 
cult and exhausting duties to perform. Army dis- 
contents were to be appeased ; complicated claims to 
be settled ; and if possible, the half-pay of innumerable 
])atriots to be obtained. Hamilton renounced his own 
9^ 



102 IXDEPENDEXCE HALL: 

demands, accruing from long martial service, that lie 
miglit freely plead tlie cause of his brethren in arms. 
On the 6th of December, 1782, he moved and carried 
an important resolution on national finance ; the be- 
ginning of his invaluable labors in behalf of an im- 
proved revenue ; the sinking fund and assumption of 
the State debts; a currency well defined and the estab- 
lishment of a national coinage. Immediately after 
Hamilton entered Congress all its proceedings assumed 
a more vigorous tone and exalted character. Griev- 
ances were redressed and effective measures of general 
interest were promptly passed. His report in answer 
to Ehode Island, and many other documents and 
speeches in behalf of a more solid and effective union, 
gave a new and more cheering aspect to the Avhole 
face of public affairs. His influence in guiding the 
terms of peace was very great, and especially was he 
efficient in rendering the fruits of peace in the highest 
degree profitable to all classes of his countrymen." 

In reviewing the life of Hamilton as a statesman, it 
should be remarked that he Avas fully equal to the 
highest stations he occupied, and that he honored 
them all. In this respect he resembled Edmund 
Burke. Owins; nothino^ of his elevation to birth, 
opulence, or official rank, he acquired none of those 
adventitious supports to rise and move at ease, and 
with instinctive power, in the higliest regions of public 
effort, dignity, and renown ; the atmosphere of Courts 
and Senates was native to his majesty of wing. There 
was no fear that his plumage would give way in either 
the storm or the sunshine ; those are the casualties 
of inferior powers. He had his share of both the 
tempest and that still more perilous trial which has 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOC [ATIONS. 103 

melted clown the virtue of so many aspiring spirits 
in the favor of cabinets. But he grew purer and 
more powerful for good ; to his latest moment he 
continually rose more and more above the influence 
of party, until at last the politician was elevated into 
the philosopher; and fixing himself in that loftier 
region, from which he looked down on the cloudy 
and turbulent contests of the time, he soared upward 
calmly in the light of truth, and became more splendid 
at every wave of his wing. 

Brougham thinks justly that Chatham's highest en- 
comium rests on the fact that, " Far superior to the 
paltry objects of a groveling ambition, and regardless 
alike of party and personal considerations, he con- 
stantly set before his eyes the highest duty of a public 
man, to further the interests of his species. In pur- 
suing his course toward that goal, he disregarded alike 
the frowns of power and the gales of popular applause, 
exposed himself undaunted to the vengeance of the 
Court, battled against its corruptions, and confronted, 
unappalled, the rudest shock of public indignation." 
That Hamilton actually pursued such a course as this, 
and was governed by such principles, is well known 
from contemporaneous history, and especially from 
his own pen, in the opening language of the ^' Fede- 
ralist." "An enlightened zeal," he observes, "for the 
energy and efficiency of government, will be stigma- 
tized as the offspring of a temper fond of power and 
hostile to the principles of liberty. The consciousness 
of good intentions disdains ambiguity. I shall not, 
however, multiply professions on this head. My 
motives must remain in the depository of my own 
breast ; my arguments will be open to all, and may 



104 INDEPENDENCE HALL : 

be judged by all. They shall at least be offered in a 
spirit which will not disgrace the cause of truth." 

But by ingenuous and honest minds his integrity 
was never suspected. His moral worth was of an ex- 
alted character, and his varied services in behalf of 
his country and the human race can never be rated 
too high. To him with the strictest propriety may be 
applied what Mr. Burrows said of Grattan: "His 
name silenced the skeptic upon the reality of genuine 
patriotism. To doubt the purity of his motives was 
a heresy which no tongue dared to utter ; envy was 
lost in admiration ; and even they Avhose crimes ho 
scourged, blended extorted praises with the murmurs 
of resentment. He covered our then unfledged Con- 
stitution with the ample wings of his talents, as the 
eagle covers her young ; like her he soared, and like 
her ho could behold the rays, whetlier of royal favor 
or of royal anger, with undazzled, unintimidated eye." 

To speak well and to write well are intellectual ac- 
complishments everywhere considered of the highest 
order, and in Hamilton the combination of these rare 
excellencies was strikingly exemplified. Like the 
renowned Surrey, he was the most accomplished 
knight and scholar of his day. 

"Matchless liis pen, victorious was liis lance, 
Bold in tlie lists, and graceful in the dance." 

In the hall, tlie camp, and the forum, Hamilton was 
always employed in teaching the loftiest sentiments 
of patriotism and in executing the most generous 
deeds. When a Whig student in college, he secured 
the Tory president's safety at the risk of his own, even 
while the stubborn object of undeserved kindness 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 105 

cried out to the mob, " Don't listen to him, gentle 
men ! He is crazy ! he is crazy !" And in all hi& 
subsequent career, we "find him thus fighting the 
cause of reason against popular passion, of the right 
against the expedient, and that too with the uniform 
and very natural reward of having his acts miscon- 
strued, his motives misunderstood, his language mis- 
interpreted, and himself held up, if not to public, at 
least to party odium, as a citizen without patriotism ; 
an adopted, but not a filial son of America ; branded 
as a royalist, because he wrested from the law its 
sword of vengeance against the tories ; as an English- 
man, because he would not hate the ancestral land 
against Avhich he Avas yet willing to shed his blood ; 
as a monarchist, because he loved not revolutionary 
France ; as an enemy to the people, because he would 
save them from their own mad passions; and as a 
Caesar in ambition, because he gave up his heart to 
his public duties, and ever labored in them as men do 
in that Avhich they love. But popular fickleness and 
political rancor never moved him from his chosen and 
conscientious path. The motto that in the main 
governed his whole life was, first, truth and honor, 
then the popular wilL" 

In 1795, at the age of thirty-eight, Hamilton re- 
sumed the practice of law in the city of New York, 
where he continued in active professional pursuits 
until the close of life. His personal appearance at 
that time is represented as follows : He Avas under the 
middle size, thin in person, but remarkably erect and 
dignified in his deportment. His hair Avas turned 
back from his forehead, poAvdered, and collected in a 
queue behind. His complexion Avas exceedingly fair, 



106 INDEPENDEXCE HALL: 

and varying from this only by tlie delicate rosiness 
of his cheeks. In form and tint his face was con- 
sidered uncommonly handsome. When in repose, it 
bore a severe and thoughtful expression ; but when 
engaged in conversation, it immediately assumed an 
attractive smile. His ordinary costume was a blue 
coat vfith bright buttons, the skirts being unusually 
long; he wore a Avhite waistcoat, black silk small- 
clothes, and white silk stockings. His appearance 
and deportment accorded with the exalted distinction 
which, by his stupendous public services, he had 
attained. His voice was engagingly pleasant, and his 
whole mien commanded the respect due to a master 
mind. His natural frankness inspired the most affec- 
tionate attachment ; and his splendid talents, as is 
usual, elicited the firmest and the most furious hate. 

By nature Hamilton was a moralist and metaphy- 
sician. The axioms of political sagacity and the pro- 
fusion of pointed and perspicuous reflections which 
flowed from his pen, as well as spoken from his lips, 
gave an enduring value to his works. His great en- 
dowments of disciplined thought and energetic will 
imparted to his hastiest composition elaborate force 
and the grace of perfection. He could do that by in- 
tuition and a single blow which ordinary statesmen 
would require months to ponder and execute. Bold 
in his propositions, he was inexorable in his conclu- 
sions ; grant him his premises, and the result was in- 
evitable as fate. He did not fatigue himself with pro- 
fuse skirmishes nor bewilder his mind in the labyrinth 
of a formal exordium ; but like an arrow impelled by 
a vigorous bow, he shot directly to the mark. One 
of the most cnliLchtened critics of modern times has 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 107 

pronounced a worthy eulogium on liim as the most 
eminent framer, most eloquent defender, and soundest 
expositor of the American Constitution. '^ Hamilton," 
says Guizot, in his late work on the character of Wash- 
ins^ton, '' must be classed amono' the men Avho have 
best known the vital principles and the fundamental 
conditions of a government ; not of a government such 
as this (France), but of a government worthy of its 
mission and of its name. There is not in the Constitu- 
tion of the United States an element of order, of force, 
or of duration, which he has not powerfully con- 
tributed to introduce into it and caused to pre- 
dominate." 

Hamilton was the great master of the human heart. 
Deeply versed in its feelings and motives, he " struck 
by a word, and it quivered beneath the blow; flashed 
the lightning glance of burning, thrilling, animated 
eloquence," and its hopes and its fears were moulded 
to his wish. He was the vivid impersonation of 
political sagacity. His imagination and jiractical 
judgment, like two fleet coursers, ran neck-and-neck 
to the very goal of triumph. Military eloquence of 
the highest grade had its birth with liberty in the 
American Revolution. But the majority of our heroes 
were not adepts in literature. They could conquer 
tyrants more skillfully than they could harangue 
tliem. To this rule, however, Hamilton was a dis- 
tinguished exception. He was the most sagacious and 
laborious of our revolutionary orators. He anticipated 
time and interrogated history with equal ease and 
ardor. He explored the archives of his OAvn land, 
and drew from foreign courts the quintessence of their 
ministerial wisdom. He illuminated the councils 



108 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

where Washington presided, and with him guarded 
our youthful nation with the e3^es of a lynx and the 
talons of a vulture. But we should give especial at- 
tention to Hamilton as a writer. Through the pen he 
Avrought more extensively on the popular mind, per- 
haps, than by all the impressivencss of his living elo- 
quence. He well understood the utility of this mighty 
engine for weal or woe. The ancient orators and 
writers, slowly transcribing their words on parch- 
ment, breathed in their little pipes a melody for nar- 
row circles; but Fame o-ives to modern thouorht the 
magnificent trumpet of the press, whose perpetual 
voice speaks simultaneously to delighted millions at 
the remotest points. It is of vast advantage to a 
nation that men of the most elevated positions in civil 
affairs should take a part in its literature, and thus, 
with their pen as well as by their patronage, foster 
its development and perfection, ^schylus, the oldest 
of the great tragedians of Greece, was himself a sol- 
dier, and fought with heroism in many of the glorious 
battles of his country, one of which furnished the 
theme of his most celebrated work. Herodotus was 
born only a few years before the great conflict with 
Xerxes; and Xenophon participated prominently in 
the remarkable military achievements he has com- 
memorated. The profoundest scholars, acutest poets, 
most masculine heroes, the best writers and most 
sagacious statesmen, are always polished into enduring 
elegance, and fortified with the best strength amid the 
stern realities of public life. 

Such was Alexander Hamilton. He Avas the in- 
defatigable soldier of the press, the pen, and the army; 
in each field he carried a sword which, like the one 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 109 

borne by the angel at the gate of Paradise, flashed its 
guardian care on every hand. In martial aflairs he 
was an adept, in literary excellence he was unex- 
celled, and in political discernment he was universally 
acknowledged to be superior among the great. We 
read his writings with ever-increasing zest, fascinated 
by the seductive charms of his style, and impelled b}^ 
the opening splendors of his far-reaching and compre- 
hensive thoughts. They accumulate with a beautiful 
symmetry, and emanate legitimately from his theme. 
They expand and grow, as an acorn rises into an oak, 
of which all the branches shoot out of the same trunk, 
nourished in every part by the same sap, and form a 
perfect unit, amid all the diversified tints of the 
foliage and the infinite complexity of the boughs. 
'^That writer would deserve the fame of a public 
benefactor," said Fisher Ames, 'Svho could exhibit 
the character of Hamilton with the truth and force 
that all who intimately knew him conceived it ; his 
example would then take the same ascendant as his 
talents." The portrait alone, however exquisitely 
finished, could not inspire genius where it is not ; but 
if the world should again have possession of so rare 
a gift, it might awaken it where it sleeps, as by a 
spark from heaven's own altar ; for surely if there is 
any thing like divinity in man, it is his admiration 
for virtue. ''The country deeply laments when it 
turns its eyes back and sees what Hamilton was ; but 
my soul stiffens with despair," continues Ames, "when 
I think what Hamilton would have been. It is not as 
Apollo, enchanting the shepherds with his lyre, that 
we deplore him ; it is as Hercules, treacherously slain 



110 INDEPENDENCE HALL : 

in the midst of his unfinished labors, leaving the world 
overrun with monsters." 

It is unnecessary to dwell on the unrighteous and 
fatal event which robbed Hamilton of life — the duel 
with Aaron Burr at Hoboken, when 

"A falcon, tow'ring in his pride of place, 
Was by a mousing owl liawk'd at and kill'd 1" 

In Independence Hall, by the side of the portrait 
of George Washington, therefore, is the most appro- 
priate place for the portrait of Alexander Hamilton. 
Few can look upon it without realizing the fact that 
his history is inseparable with the history of our 
country — in fact, is a brilliant portion of it. Let all i 
look upon it with reverence, and feel constrained to " 
imitate his example. 



i 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. Ill 



CHAPTER yill. 

CONVENTION OF 1776. 

^^Inferrumpro lihertate ruebant ! 
In for comcienticBP^ 

In tlie annals of our country's progress from 
colonial dependence to its present greatnesS; perhaps 
there is no epoch that is regarded with deeper and 
more profound veneration than that era embraced 
within the narrow limits of one single month pre- 
ceding the 4th of July, 1776. Public sentiment had 
long been maturing for decisive action against the en- 
croachments and aggressions of despotic Europe — the 
people were ripe for open rebellion, and fully deter- 
mined to put their resolves into practical execution. 
Wherever the foot of oppression had previously left 
its sad imprint throughout the land, a corresponding- 
spirit of resistance became aroused. In the cities and 
villages, towns and hamlets ; on the mountains, in the 
valleys, upon the hillsides, and in the vales — wherever 
the hut of the hardy pioneer sent its smoke curling 
upward through the interlacing branches of the 
forests, on the circumambient blue of heaven, there 
beat hearts as warm and noble, as true and fear- 
less, and as restive for the approaching period when 
their chains of bondage should be severed, as in the 
seaboard cities, where despotic exactions were most 



112 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

injuriously experienced. A feeling of outraged dignity 
prompted to cliivalric action — a spirit of patriotic 
daring to deeds of fame. Acting under tliat sense of 
resistance excited by the stern and steady impositions 
of the home government, every exalted motive of a 
jealous people became an incentive of noble action. 
Town meetings assembled in every part of the land ; 
enthusiastic and eloquent addresses, fresh and gushing 
from hearts sensitively alive to patriotic duty, were 
made ; uncompromising resolutions were passed, and 
measures of self-protection adopted. In those primary 
assemblages were exhibited deep and abiding devo- 
tion to honorable administration of government — a 
willingness to abide all reasonable forms of law and 
requirements from the mother country ; but a perti- 
nacious opposition to all attempts of arbitrary coer- 
cion. They were willing to yield obedience so long 
as that obedience would not compromit their rights as 
freemen — but when the sanctuary of their freedom was 
invaded — when the lion sought to ravage their homes 
— then was a sterner spirit evoked, and more energetic 
measures commenced. Delegates from each State were 
chosen to meet in convention in this " Holy of Holies," 
this Temple of Freedom — Independence Hall — armed 
with authority to decide the matter for freedom or for 
bondage. The responsibility imposed upon those rep- 
resentatives of the people was indeed of no ordinary 
moment and importance. They felt that upon their 
shoulders rested the future prosperous and glorious 
condition of their country, or its ultimate enslavement 
and ruin. But they were equal for the occasion, and 
willing to abide the consequences of their action. 
The appointed day for the assembling of that great 



ITS HISTOEY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 113 

body of heroes in Philadelpliia arrived : prayers for 
God's providence and wisdom to watch over and guide 
their deliberations went np like sweet-smelling incense 
from the altar of every patriot's heart. Feelings of 
tremulous joy and boding apprehension alternately 
took possession of the people, similar to those which 
excite a child on contemplating the first act of resist- 
ance to parental autbority. The day dawned calm 
and beautiful; the trees appeared hung with pearls 
for the occasion, as the early dew-drops glistened like 
diamonds among the foliage. Not a cloud flecked the 
sky to dim the full unintercepted rays of the King of 
Day — not a single streak of sombre haze curtained 
the horizon; all was bright, cheerful, and augured 
significantly for the cause of freedom and human 
rights. One by one those brave-hearted men as- 
sembled in Independence Hall — silently, one by one 
took his seat, for the objects for which that Convention 
had met, and the subjects upon which it was to de- 
liberate were the most stupendous in their issues and 
results, of which this earth has ever been the theatre 
or the witness ! A nation's liberty or a nation's 
bondage, a nation's birth or a nation's death, were 
some of the mighty interests that were suspended in 
the scales of destiny. The life, the liberty, the pros- 
perity, the reputation — aye, more, the safety of the 
household gods that clustered around the hearthstone 
at home, of each individual member of that heroic 
convocation, were all, all staked '' upon the hazard of 
a die I" Some one has compared this more than Am- 
phictyonic council to that ^' immortal assembly, which 
convened in the counsels of eternity, whose presiding 
officer was Him, ' who sitteth upon the circles of the 
10^ 



114 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

heavens/ and Avliose delegates were angels and arch- 
angels, cherubim and seraphim, in which the great 
question of apostate man's redemption and salvation 
was discussed, and resolved upon." The representatives 
of thirteen weak and sparsedly-peopled colonies just 
struggling into existence, were, one by one, sub- 
scribing their names to a massive parchment, upon 
which they had set forth their declaration of prin- 
ciples — the Magna Charta of human rights. The eyes 
of the old world were intently fixed upon the star of 
hope, which was slowly rising above the horizon of 
the new. And as that star which rose in Bethlehem 
eighteen centuries ago, and took its solitary flight 
through the heavens, until it slione over against the 
place where lay the infant Saviour, in his lowly 
manger, proclaimed the glad tidings of man's salva- 
tion ; which were caught up by the angelic choir of 
the sky, and called forth symphonies of the most ex- 
quisite harmony from the golden harps of cherubim 
and seraphim — so this star beamed forth the signal- 
light to warn mankind of his civil and political re- 
demption, and to announce the great truth that the 
sacred title-deed, which had been sealed by the hand 
of God upon creation's morn, and which was written 
in the royal and kingly birthright, that ^' all men are 
born free and equal," wliich had been buried in the 
urn of ages, and upon which the dust of cycles of 
years had gathered, was again found, and had become 
the political creed and text-book of the world. Far 
far away across the dark waters of the Atlantic, the 
longing gaze of the down-trodden serf was rivetted 
upon the bright rays of this great luminary of free- 
dom, and his chains felt softer, his pulse beat higher. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 115 

and his heart grew lighter, for with prophetic spirit 
he beheld the day not far distant, when its fervent 
heat would melt the manacles from his limbs, crowns 
from the heads of despots, and thrones from under 
the imperious footsteps of royalty. 

But it is sad to reflect that, one by one those gal- 
lant hearts have ceased to beat — one by one those 
strong arms have fed the worm — one by one those 
eagle-eyes have lost their light — one by one those 
matchless forms have been gathered into their narrow 
houses and the long sleep of death. Yet the spirits 
of those mighty heroes are abroad in the land promp- 
ting the sons of freedom to emulation and virtue. 
They are still with us, having claimed respite from 
that relentless monster, to enact over again their for- 
mer labors in Independence Hall. Yes, we almost 
see their majestic forms risiog from their long repose, 
clothed not in the habiliments of the tomb, but in the 
robes of immortality. The whole land is sensible of 
their presence — 

"Their spirits wrap our dusky mountains, 
Their memory sparkles o'er our fountains, 
The meanest rill, the mightiest river, 
Roll mingling with their fame forever." 

Eighty years have glided into the eternity of the 
past since those great men lived and walked upon the 
earth ! It is true, the same san still rides in majesty 
and glory through the cloudless sky that shone upon 
their life and death councils in Independence Hall — 
but what a change ! It is true, the same mighty 
ocean that bore so proudly and so safely the fleets of 
an angry country, still rolls on, thundering its an- 



116 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

tliems of praise to tlie great "I am," without change 
and without a wrinkle upon its azure brow. But 
that sun no longer shines upon a few straggling dwel- 
lings of three millions of people hugging the seacoast, 
and fenced in with dark heavy forests and glittering 
tomahawks of the savage Indians. JSTo — the forests 
have melted away, and flourishing cities have sprung 
up in their stead. The Eed man has disappeared, 
leaving his hunting grounds behind, and the grave 
of his father unprotected ; and the energetic husband- 
man now drives his plow through this consecrated 
soil, unconscious of the sacred ashes he is disturbing. 
That sun no longer gilds our national flag containing 
thirteen stars and stripes — our banner is now em- 
blazoned all over with a brilliant constellation of 
thirty -one ever glorious, ever radiant gems, and its 
ample folds floating proudly from its staff, cast their 
protecting shadows over an entire hemisphere, from 
the rosy chambers of the East, where the day is born, 
to the enamelled and gorgeously tinted bowers of the 
West, where his dying couch is spread. Such are the 
reflections which come over the sensitive mind on 
visiting the theatre of their sublime transactions. 
Their voices seem still to ring on our ears and their 
manly forms to stand before our eyes. Their por- 
traits grace the walls where their deliberations were 
held, and give additional intensity to the holy in- 
spirations of the place. Upon the scenes where such 
heroes labored, suffered, or fell, the mind loves to 
ponder with thoughtful reflections. For here it learns 
to appreciate the value of those blessings which Ave 
enjoy, but which were purchased at a costly price by 
our heroic ancestors. Few can read or meditate on 



ITS HISTOEY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 117 

the story of our colonial struggles, and muse on the 
sublime transactions of the Convention of 1776, with- 
out feeling a deep reverence for their memory and 
exalted characters. Their names and their deeds will 
exist coequal in the eternity of gratitude which their 
descendants will ever retain as a boon and legacy. 



118 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 



^ CHAPTEE IX. 

THE DECLAKATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 

"With calmest courage they were ever ready 

To teach that action was the truth of thought. 
And with strong arm and purpose strong and steady, 
The anchor of the drifting world they wrought." 

There dawned on tlie 4tli of July, 1776, an era 
signalised as the most remarkable of any that had oc- 
curred in the world's history. It was a period when 
the faint voice of Freedom first gave decided tone to 
the advancement of civilization, and the fetters of 
bondage were stricken from the oppressed — when the 
genius of man's redemption was made manifest in a 
declaration of principles comprehensive as the world 
— when the authority of Despotism received a stern 
and decisive check. The aged and inflexible spirits 
who had assembled in convention in '^Independence 
Hall," whose deliberations and actions formed the 
theme of our preceding chapter, had instructed their 
committee to draft a ''Declaration," absolving the 
United Colonies from allegiance to the Mother Govern- 
ment, and asserting their own rights and independence. 
That committee had reported the document on the 
28th day of June, and its provisions had elicited the 
attention and discussion of the Convention from that 
day until the 4th of July. The aggressive measures 
Avhich the British Ministry had imposed upon her 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 119 

subjects in America were calmly and earnestly acted 
upon — the commercial and business interests of tlie 
country were duly weighed — the fearful concomitants 
of a long and expensive military struggle were con- 
sidered and properly estimated — and all the contin- 
gencies incident to a separate and distinctive nation- 
ality were calculated. The weighty importance of 
these vital questions had all been settled, and an ex- 
pression of cool determination rested on the brows of 
those noble patriots. They were listening with earnest 
attention to the reading of the Declaration, by Secre- 
tary Charles Thompson, as amended, while scarcely a 
breath was audible except the voice of the Secretary. 
A holy calm pervaded the room, and the white- winged 
angel of peace came as a messenger from heaven to 
set God's approving signet upon their actions. There 
sat John Hancock in the President's chair, stern and 
inflexible ; Robert Morris, calm and calculating ; 
Thomas Jefferson, inveterately opposed to despotic 
governments ; Dr. John Witherspoon, who was Presi- 
dent of Princeton College ; Philip Livingston, a man 
who filled many distinguished positions before the 
Revolution ; Richard Henry Lee, an able politician ; 
Samuel Huntington, Governor of Connecticut ; Charles 
Carroll, a distinguished man ; Francis Hopkinson, a 
lawyer of distinction; Samuel Chase, an Associate 
Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States ; 
Thomas McKean, an eminent jurist ; Dr. Benjamin 
Rush, the celebrated physician, writer and teacher of 
medicine ; John Adams, a member of Congress from 
Massachusetts ; Dr. Benjamin Franklin, the Printer 
Philosopher; Josiah Bartlett, a very eminent man; 
William Whipple, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire; 



120 INDEPEI^DENCE HALL: 

Matthew Thornton; who was afterward appointed sur- 
geon of the New Hampshire troops ; Samuel Adams, 
Eobert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry, Stephen Hop- 
kinson, William EUery, Eoger Sherman, William 
Williams, Oliver Wolcott, William Floyd, Francis 
Lewis, Lewis Morris, Richard Stockton, John Hart, 
Abraham Clark, John Morton, George Clymer, James 
Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross, 
CD3sar Rodney, George Read, Thomas Stone, William 
Paca, Charles Carroll, of Carrollton; George Wythe, 
Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Carter Brax- 
ton, William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn, 
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Hay ward, Jr., Thomas 
Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton, Button Gwinnett, Ly- 
man Hall, George Walton and Robert R. Livingston."^ 
These men were constituted and chosen by Providence 
for the great work He had set before them — and no 
one can say but that they performed their duties well. 
They were the instruments selected to open a way for 
the oppressed to establish their rights and to vindicate 
popular justice. As we stand in Independence Hall, 
and calmly survey the only representatives left of those 
distinguished men, our minds go back in deep re- 
flections, and memor}^ recalls their exalted deeds. 
We see them in imagination, as they gather in their 
representative capacity, with high and holy resolves 
upon their brows, advance to the Secretary's table, 
for the purpose of recording their votes in favor of 
adopting the Declaration. When that eventful mo- 
ment arrived ; when the deed was consummated, old 
Independence Bell rang out the glad tidings to the 

* This gentleman did not sign tlie Declaration of Indepeu- 
dpnpp, b]Lit he was one of the cpmpiitte,e who drafted it. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 121 

inhabitants of a clisentliralled land. Then went up 
shouts of joy from the friends of the measure — then 
pulsated more freely and warmly patriotic hearts — 
then grew stronger the arms of Liberty's defenders — 
and quaked more convulsively traitors to the cause 
of freedom. Liberty of conscience and human rights 
had been avowed — and life or death, freedom or bond- 
age, Avere to be the result. The honor and fortunes 
of those patriots were plighted — and their prowess 
pledged to support the document and declarations 
they had just endorsed. The Committee then rose, 
grave and decided, and with an unshaken confidence, 
reported the following draft of the Declaration: 

" When, in the course of human events, it becomes 
necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands 
which have connected them with another, and to as- 
sume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and 
equal station to which the laws of nature and of na- 
ture's God entitle them, a decent respect to tlie opinions 
of mankind requires that they should declare the causes 
which impel them to the separation. 

We hold these truths to be self-evident : that all men 
are created equal ; that they are endowed by their Crea- 
tor with inherent and inalienable [certain inalienable] 
rights ; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit 
of happiness ; that to secure these rights, governments 
are instituted among men, deriving their just powers 
from the consent of the governed ; that whenever any 
form of government becomes destructive of these ends, 
it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and 
to institute new government, laying its foundation on 
such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, 
as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety 
and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate, that 
governments, long established, should not be changed 
ior light and transient causes. And, accordingly, all 

n 



122 INDEPENDENCE HALL : 

experience hatli showii; that mankind are more disposed- 
to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right them- 
selves by abolishing the forms to which they are ac- 
customed. But when a long train of abuses and^ 
usurpations, begun at a distant period^ fozc/ pursuing in- 
variably the same object, evinces a design to reduce 
them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is 
their duty, to throw off such government, and to pro- 
vide new guards for their future security. Such has 
been the patient sufferance of these colonies ; and such 
is now the necessity which constrains them to expunge 
[alter] their former system of government. The his- 
tory of the present king of Great Britain, is a history 
of unremitting [repeated] injuries and usurpations; 
among which appears no solitary fact to contradict the 
uniform tenor of the rest ; hut all have [having] in direct 
object, the establishment of an absolute tyranny over 
these States. To prove this, let facts be submitted to 
a candid world, for the tridh of which lue pledge a faith 
yet unsullied hy fcdsehood. 

He has refused his assent to laws the most whole- 
some and necessary for the public good. 

He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of im- 
mediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in 
their operation till his assent should be obtained ; and 
when so suspended, he has neglected idterly [utterly ne- 
glected] to attend to them. 

He has refused to pass other laws for the accom- 
modation of large districts of people, unless these 
people would relinquish the right of representation in 
the legislation ; a right inestimable to them, and for- 
midable to tyrants only. 

He has called together legislative bodies at places 
unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the repository 
of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing 
them into compliance with his measures. 

He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly 
and continucdly, for opposing with manly firmness his 
invasions on the rights of the people. 

He has refused, for a long time after such dissolutions. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIOXS. 123 

to cause others to be elected^ Avhereby the legislative 
powers, incapable of annihilatioi], have returned to the 
people at large for their exercise, the State remaining 
in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion 
from without and convulsions within. 

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these 
States ; for that purpose obstructing the laws for nata- 
ralization of foreigners ; refusing to pass others to en- 
courage their migration hither; and raising the con- 
ditions of new appropriations of lands. 

He has suffered the administration of justice totally to 
cease in some of these States ; [he has obstructed the ad- 
ministration of justice, by] refusing his assent to laws 
for establishing judiciary powers. 

He has made our judges dependent on his will alone, 
for the tenure of their offices and the amount and pay- 
ment of their salaries. 

He has erected a multitude of new offices hy a seJf- 
assumed ]iower^ and sent hither swarms of officers to 
harass our people and eat out their substance. 

He has kept among us, in time of peace, standing 
armies and ships of luar, without the consent of our 
lesfislatures. 

o 

He has affected to render the military independent 
of, and superior to, the civil power. 

He has combined with others to subject us to a 
jurisdiction foreign to our constitutions, and unac- 
knowledged by our laws ; giving his assent to their 
acts of pretended legislation. 

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among 
us. 

For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment 
for any murders which they should commit on the in- 
habitants of these States ; 

For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world ; 

For imposing taxes on us without our consent ; 

For depriving us [in many cases] of the benefits of 
trial by jury; 

For transporting us beyond the seas to be tried for 
pretended offenses; 



124 INDEPENDENCE HALL : 

For abolisliing tlie free system of English laws in a 
neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary 
government; and enlarging its boundaries, so as to 
render it at once an example and fit instrument for the 
introducing the same absolute rule into these Slates 
[colonies] ; 

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most 
valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of 
our government ; 

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring 
themselves invested with power to legislate for us in 
all cases Avhatever. 

He has abdicated government here, withdrawing his 
governors^ and [by] declaring us out of his allegiance 
and protection, and waging war against us. 

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt 
our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. 

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign 
mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation 
and tyranny, already begun, with circumstances of 
cruelty and perfidy [scarcely paralleled in the most 
barbarous ages, and totally] unworthy the head of a civ- 
ilized nation. 

He has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of 
our frontiers the merciless Indian savages, whose 
known rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruc- 
tion of all ages, sexes, and conditions of existence; he 
has excited treasonable insurrections of our fellow -citizens 
with the cdlurements of forfeiture and confiscation of our 
property. 

He has constrained others [our fellow-citizens], taken 
captive on the high seas, to bear arms against their 
country, to become the executioners of their friends and 
brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands. 

He has ivaged civil war against human nature itself, 
violating its most sacred rights of life and liberty in the 
persons of a distant people, who never offended him, 
captivating and carrying them into slavery in another 
hemisphere, or to incur miserable death in their trans- 
portation thither. This piratical Avarfare, the o[)pro- 



ITS HlSiOKlf ANI> ASSOUIATiUXo. 125 

brill m of infidel powers, is tlie warfare of the Christian 
king of Great Britain. Determined to keep open a mar- 
ket where men shoukl be bought and sokl, he has pros- 
tituted his negative for suppressing every legislative 
attempt to prohibit or to restrain this execrable com- 
merce. And that this assemblage might want no fact 
of distinguished dye, lie is now exciting those very 
people to rise in arms among us, and to purchase that 
liberty of which he has deprived them, by murdering 
the people upon whom he obtruded them : thus paying 
off former crimes committed against the liberties of 
one people with crimes which he urges them to com- 
mit against the lives of another. 

In every stage of these oppressions we have peti- 
tioned for redress in the most humble terras : our re- 
peated petitions have been answered only by repeated 
injury. A prince whose character is thus marked by 
every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the 
ruler of a people tvho mean to he free, [Free people.] 
Future ages Avill scarce believe that the hardiness of 
one man adventured within the short compass of 
twelve years only, to build a foundation, so broad and 
undisguised, for tyranny over a people fostered and 
fixed in principles of freedom. 

Nor have we been wanting in attentions to our 
British brethren. We have warned them, from time 
to time, of attempts by their Legislature to extend a 
[an unwarrantable] jurisdiction over these our States. 
[Us.] We have reminded them of the circumstances 
of our emigration and settlement here ; no one of 
which could warrant so strange a pretension ; that 
these were effected at the expense of our own blood 
and treasure, unassisted by the wealth or the strength 
of Grreat Britain: that in constituting indeed our 
several forms of government, we had adopted one 
common king, thereby laying a foundation for per- 
petual league and amity with them ; but that to their 
parliament was no part of our Constitution ; nor even 
an idea, if history may be credited ; and we [have] 
appealed to their native justice and magnanimity as 



126 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

well as to [and we have conjured tliem by] the ties 
of our common kindred, to disavow these usurpations 
which were likely to [would inevitably] interrupt our 
connexions and correspondence. They, too, have 
been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity ; 
and when occasions have been given them, by the 
regular course of their laws, of removing from tlieir 
councils the disturbers of our harmony, they have by 
their free election, re-established them in power. At 
this very time, too, they were permitting their Chief 
Magistrate to send over, not only soldiers of our com- 
mon blood, but [Scotch and] foreign mercenaries to 
invade and destroy us. These facts have given the 
last stab to agonizing affections; and manly spirit 
bids us to renounce forever these unfeeling brethren. 
We must endeavor to forget our former love for them;- 
we must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity which 
denounces our separation, and hold them, as Ave hold 
the rest of mankind, enemies in war ; in peace, friends. 

We might have been a free and great people 
together; but a communication of grandeur and of 
freedom, it seems, is below their dignity. Be it so, 
since they will have it. The road to happiness and 
to glory is open to us too ; we will climb it apart 
from them, and acquiesce in the necessity which de- 
nounces our eternal separation. 

We, therefore, the representatives of the United 
States of America in general Congress assembled, ap- 
pealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the 
rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by 
the authority of the good people of the States, reject 
and renounce all allegiance and subjection to the 
kings of Great Britain, and others who may hereafter 
claim by, through, or under them ; we utterly dissolve 
all political connexion which may heretofore have 
subsisted between us and the Parliament or people of 
Great Britain ; and finally, we do assert the colonies 
to be free and independent States ; [Colonies solemnly 
publish and declare, that these United Colonies, are, 
and of right ought to be, free and independent States ; 



• ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 127 

that they are absolved from all allegiance to the 
British crown, and that all political connection be- 
tween them and the state of Great Britain, is, and 
ought to be, totally dissolved ;] and that, as free and 
independent States, they have fall power to levy war, 
conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, 
and to do all other acts and things which independent 
States may of right do. And for the support of this 
declaration, [with a firm reliance on the protection 
of Divine Providence,] we mutually pledge to each 
other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." 



128 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 



^ CHAPTER X. 

REMARKS ON THE DECLARATION. 

The instrument known as the " Declaration of In- 
dependence," set forth principles more important in 
character, more beneficial in tendency, and destined 
to work out a greater result for the happiness and 
prosperity of the human race, than any political docu- 
ment or protocol that had ever preceded it. It Avas 
in fact, as well as in name, the great Magna Charta of 
Freedom, inspiring men to act promptly and efiiciently 
m all matters conspiring to advance the cause of 
[)olitical and religious toleration. Its plain unequiv- 
ocal language, couched in terms of high and heaven- 
inspired decision of purpose, gave it a potency which 
caused monarchists to tremble, and the advocates of 
Liberty and Equal Rights to rejoice. Never did des- 
potism receive, in all its progress of usurpation, a 
more signal rebuke, or greater check. That instru- 
ment, containing the signatures of the representatives 
of thirteen colonies, although boasting of only three 
miUions of people, interposed a more formidable bar- 
rier to the career of George III., than all the chevaux- 
de-frise or enfaladments of military science arrayed 
against the approaches of an invading army. He 
looked upon it as dangerous to the perpetuity of kingly 
regality — to monarchical usurpation. The principles 
of Liberty in it had been evolved, and a determined 



ITS HISTOHY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 129 

people, reared in tlie lap of toil and hardy adventure, 
were to be the efficient executives in carrying them to 
full and glorious fruition. A portion of the vast 
struggle had but just developed ; other scenes in the 
bloody drama were now to be enacted. AVider and 
more trying measures were to be resorted to — the ire 
of an insulted kingdom against which rebellion in its 
broadest acceptation had been instigated, was now to 
be either appeased or successfully resisted — the hitherto 
considered invincibility of England's military prowess 
was to be met, and the shafts of her power broken, or 
three millions of God's rational creatures, endowed 
with all the attributes and love of freedom that impe- 
rial monarchs and nobles enjoyed, were to be reduced 
to a condition worse than slavery, and their repre- 
sentative leaders executed as felons, by the guillotine, 
or upon the gallows ! Those were the times indeed 
"that tried men's souls," and nerved them to heroic 
action. Those were the times in which a determined 
people exhibited heroism, and vowed by all that was 
sacred in life, honorable, and manly, to be slaves no 
longer. And these resolves had been sanctioned by 
their representatives. Their signatures had been sub- 
scribed to the Declaration of Independence — and a 
price was set upon their heads for the act. But rep- 
resentatives and constituents acted in concert with 
each other ; defied the powers of despotism, and won 
the triumphs by which our country has grown to be 
so great and prosperous. 

At a period anterior to the assembling of the Con- 
vention which drew up and adopted the Declaration, 
a number of eminent statesmen, among whom was 
Samuel Adams, Kichard Henry Lee, Patrick Henry, 



130 INDEPEXDEXCE HALL : 

Timothy Dwiglit and others, had suggested, on various 
occasions, the necessity of such an instrument; but the 
subject was treated as rather chimerical. These men 
saw at once, and had sagacity sufficient to perceive 
that reconciliation with the mother country was out 
of the question. And Patrick Henry, as early as 
1773, speaking of England, exclaimed: — '^She will 
drive us to exlremiiies ; no reconciliation luill take 
place ; hostilities tvill soon commence ; and a desperate 
and bloody struggle it will be." In reply to a question 
propounded to him by Col. Overton, if he thought the 
Colonies sufficiently strong to oppose, successfully, 
the fleets of Great Britain, Patrick Henry remarked : 
"I will be caudid with you. I doubt whether we 
shall be able, alone, to cope with so powerful a nation; 
but" — rising from his chair with great animation — 
'^ where is France? where is Spain? where is Holland? 
the natural enemies of Great Britain. Where will 
they be all this Avhile ? Do you suppose they will 
stand by, idle and indifferent spectators to tlie con- 
test ? Will Louis XYI. be asleep all this time ? Be- 
lieve me, no I When Louis XVI. shall be satisfied by 
our serious opposition and our Declaration of IndeiKn- 
dence^ that all prospect of reconciliation is gone, then, 
and not till then, will he furnish us with arms, ammu- 
nition, and clothing ; and not with them only, but he 
will send his fleets and armies to fight our battles for 
us ; he will form a treaty with us, offensive and de- 
fensive, against our unnatural mother. Spain and 
Holland will join the confederation ! Our indepen- 
dence will be established ! and we shall take our stand 
among the nations of the earth !" How these pro- 
phetic exclamations Avere subseaucntly fulfilled, his- 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATION^. 131 

tory itself amply demonstrates. Others there were wlio 
doubted, or were rather afraid to come out boldly in 
defense of freedom. This is evident from the writings 
of Timothy Dwight. That gentleman says, in his 
''Travels in New England," vol. 1, p. 159: ''In the 
month of July, 1775, I urged, in conversation with 
several gentlemen of great respectability, firm AVhigs, 
and my intimate friends, the importance and even the 
necessity of a Declaration of Independence on the part 
of the Colonies, and alleged for this measure, the very 
same arguments which afterward were generally con- 
sidered as decisive ; but found them disposed to give 
me and my arguments a hostile and contemptuous, in- 
stead of a cordial reception. Yet, at that time, all the 
resentment and enthusiasm awakened by the odious 
measures of Parliament, by the peculiarly obnoxious 
conduct of the British agents in this country, and by 
the recent battles of Lexington and Breed's Hill were 
at the highest pitch. These gentlemen may be con- 
sidered as the representatives of the great body of the 
thinking men in this country. A few may, perhaps, 
be excepted, but none of these durst at that time 
openly declare their opinions to the public. For my- 
self, I regarded the die as cast, and the hopes of recon- 
ciliation as vanished ; and believed the colonists would 
never be able to defend themselves unless they re- 
nounced their dependence on Great Britain." This 
was occasioned, no doubt, by the fact, that " the pride 
of political birth-right," as Mr. Lossing remarks, " as 
a child of Great Britain, kept actively alive a loyal 
spirit ; and a separation from the British Empire was 
a proposition too startling to be readily embraced, or 
even ilworably received, by the great mass of the 



132 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

people, who regarded ' Old England' with filial rever 
ence." Although the arguments of Mr. Dwight might 
have been convincing in character, yet the proper 
time had not come — for, when intelligence reached 
America that the king had declared the colonists 
rebels — that thousands of German troops had been en- 
gaged by Parliament to come hither and assist in the 
work of subjugating a people struggling for right and 
justice — and that the British government was col- 
lecting all its mighty energies, for the purpose of 
striking a blow of such intensity as to scatter into 
fragments every vestige of the rightful claims of the 
colonists to enjoy the prerogatives granted them by 
Magna Charta, a deep and solemn conviction seized 
the minds of the people that the last hope of recon- 
ciliation had faded away, and that unbending re- 
sistance or absolute slavery was the only alternative 
left them. The bonds of filial affection were rudely 
severed by the unnatural parent, and the deserted and 
outraged children were driven by necessity to seek 
protection beneath a palladium of their own con- 
struction. Hence, they saw an imperative duty in 
urging their representatives to declare for Freedom — 
and so they did declare. 

Watson informs us that this Declaration was not 
actually signed on the 4th of July, ''nor was there 
that intrepid and concurrent enthusiasm in all the 
members of Congress which has generally been im- 
puted .'' The facts, he states, as he obtained them 
from Judge McKean, were, that, ''on the 1st of July, 
the question of Independence was taken in committee of 
the whole, when the entire seven delegates from Penn- 
sylvania voted against it, and Delaware, which had 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 133 

but two members present, divided. These were tlie 
only States Avbich so demurred! It was at this crisis 
that Judge McKean sent an express for Caesar Eod- 
ney, the other member from Delaware ; and soon after 
his arrival, the important question was put, when Mr. 
Eodney arose, and in a few words, said, he spoke the 
voice of his constituents and his own, in casting his 
vote for Independence. On the 4th of July, five rep- 
resentatives from Pennsylvania gave their votes three 
to two in favor of the declaration.'' ISTo one actually 
signed the document on that day, it was merely 
ordered to be engrossed on parchment. It was subse- 
quently read from the steps of the State House to the 
populace, who received it with unbounded applause ; 
they soon afterward retired, and commenced preparing 
for the awful conflict shortly to follow. The alacrity 
with which they responded to the call of freedom^s 
voice, subsequent history has spread before our eyes 
in an unquenchable blaze of glory. 
12 



134 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 



CHAPTER XL 



JOHN HANCOCK. 



'* Lo ! the miglity liatli fallen ! that form, once the fear 
Of the heart of the Hebrew, is stretched on its bier ! 
On the blood-deliTged ground it lies heedless and pale ; 
Weep, children of Assur, weep, tremble and wail !" 

Among the inspiring associations connected \Yitli 
Independence Hall, are the portrait and historical 
recollections of that stern old hero, John Hancock. 
He was one of Massachusetts' noblest children, and 
afforded an exalted example of devotedness to the 
cause of Independence. The town of Quincy, in the 
Commonwealth of MassacliusettS; claims him as her 
son, for it was in that place he first gazed upon the 
busy world of humanity, in 1737. From that time to 
the close of his eventful life, in October, 1793, the 
world has been an admirer of his versatility of genius, 
and blessed by the boldness of his public spirit and 
principles of enlarged philanthropy. He was indeed 
a great man, and his name will forever stand part and 
parcel of the "Declaration of Independence." Han- 
cock, whose bold signature first strikes the eye in 
glancing over that charter of American freedom, was, 
perhaps, all things considered, one of the most re- 
markable men of the age. He put most at risk in the 
sanf^uinarv struggle for American freedom, so far as 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIOXS. 185 

fortune and its appearances were concerned, for tie 
was then the richest man in the conntrj. He in- 
herited the business of a millionaire uncle^ and Avas 
the Abbott Lawrence of his day. AVhen he was first 
elected to the Provincial Legislature, Adams said to a 
friend : '' Boston has done a wise thing to-day — she 's 
made that young man's fortune her own." And this 
was literally fulfilled, for he devoted it all to the pub- 
lic use. The contrast between Hancock and Adams 
was very great. Adams was quite poor, and held in 
great contempt the style and show of fortune — Han- 
cock kept a magnificent equipage, such as was then 
unknown in America. His apparel was embroidered 
with gold and silver — he drove his six beautiful bays 
— he was exceedingly fond of dancing, music, routes, 
parties, rich wines, dinners, and all that kind of thing 
called elegant pleasures. How he estimated the goods 
of fortune and its concomitants, is illustrated by the 
following anecdote: — '^ During the siege of Boston, 
Gen. Washington consulted Congress as to the pro- 
priety of bombarding the town. Hancock was Presi- 
dent, and after the reading of Washington's letter, a 
motion was made to go into committee of the whole 
to enable Mr. Hancock to give his opinion, as he was 
deeply interested — all his property being in houses 
and real estate. He left the chair, and addressed the 
chairman as follows : ' It is true, sir, that nearly all I 
]iave in the world is in the town of Boston, but if the 
expulsion of the British troops and the liberty of my 
country demand that they be burned to ashes, issue 
the order, and let the cannon blaze away !' " 

In the earlier stages of John Hancock's existence — 
who had been supplied with a collegiate education at 



136 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

Harvard ColleG^c — at tlic aQ:e of seventeen lie was taken 
under the guardianship of a pious uncle, who made 
him a clerk in his counting-room, where he soon be- 
came acquainted with the various routine of com- 
mercial business. His uncle was so well pleased with 
the rapid advancement and honest habits of his nephew, 
that in the year 1760 he entrusted him with a mission 
to England to transact some very important business. 
On that occasion young Hancock was present at the 
funeral rites of king George II., and also witnessed 
the ceremonies of investing his successor, George HI., 
with the insignia of royalty. His stay in England 
won for him many warm friends, both in a social and 
business capacity. It was necessary, however, for him 
to make his visit of short duration, and he returned 
with much regret to Boston. Soon after his arrival 
home his uncle was taken ill and died, leaving him at 
the age of twenty -six the sole possessor of his princely 
fortune — the largest, perhaps, of any man in the Prov- 
ince of Massachusetts. Possessed of an extraordinary 
mind, and deeply conversant with political science, he 
soon after this solemn event, abandoned commercial 
enterprises and business pursuits of all kinds, and 
devoted himself to the politics of the day. In prin- 
ciple he was devotedly democratic, but liberal in his 
views. He was chosen a member of the Provincial 
Assembly from Boston in 1766, and was in conse- 
quence thrown into intercourse and acquaintanceship 
with such men as Samuel Adams, James Otis, and 
Thomas Gushing. 

The inhabitants of this country had felt the op- 
pressive exaction and tyranny of Great Britain several 
years before Mr. Hancock took an active part in po- 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 137 

litical matters, and feelings of resistance were already 
aroused. He came upon the theatre of public life, 
therefore, under circumstances sufficiently extraor- 
dinary and exciting to fill his ardent youthful mind 
with strong sentiments of patriotism. It is said that 
young Hancock imbibed the principles of liberty from 
his infancy, and hence such feelings were as familiar 
to him as " household words." When the exigencies 
of the time demanded exhibitions of such feelings and 
sentiments as Mr. Hancock possessed, no patriot was 
readier or more earnest in their manifestation. The 
obnoxious measures adopted by Parliament toward 
the Colonies, which succeeded the " Stamp Act," Mr. 
Hancock regarded as the ultima thule of tyranny, and 
resolved not to submit to them. He was at that time 
a member of the Provincial Legislature, and was in- 
strumental in inducing his colleagues to unite witli 
him against them. The proposition of non-importa- 
tion measures was first made by him, and he advo- 
cated the necessity of them with such ardor that they 
were adopted by the other Colonies. These measures 
produced a poAverful effect upon the home govern- 
ment, and caused it to enforce more rigidly than ever 
her tyrannous exactions. At length open resistance 
became universal, and Hancock's name was conspica- 
ously prominent in the commotions that agitated Bos- 
ton for more than eight years. History informs us 
that one of the earliest acts of open resistance, was on 
the occasion of the seizure of the sloop Liberty, be- 
longing to Mr. Hancock, by the Custom House offi- 
cers, under the plea that she was loaded with goods 
contrary to the revenue laws. The people were 
greatly exasperated ; they beat the officers with clubs, 
12* 



138 INDEPENDKN-CE HALL: 

and obliged them to fly to Castle William, at the en 
trance of Boston Harbor, for safety. They also burned 
the Collector's boat, and committed other acts of vio- 
lence. These transactions gave the royal governor an 
excuse he wished for to introduce British troops into 
the city. This measure excited the indignation of the 
people to the highest pitch, and almost daily quarrels 
took place in the streets between the citizens and the 
soldiers, which finally resulted in the death of three 
Americans, in March, 1770, by shots from soldiers' 
muskets — an event known as The Boston Massacre. 
So popular a leader in the colonial rebellion had Han- 
cock become, that offended royalty excluded him from 
the termxS of general pardon which Parliament made 
in 1775. Samuel Adams was also excluded as an 
arch-rebel. The night preceding the battle of Lex- 
ington, Hancock and Adams lodged together, in that 
village. An armed party was sent by Governor Gage 
to arrest them ; and they narrowly escaped, for as the 
soldiers entered one door, they went out through 
another. During the commotion known as the " Tea 
Riot,''^ Mr. Hancock was exceedingly active and bold ; 
and on the anniversary of the '^Boston Massacre,''^ in 
March, 1774, he delivered a severe speech against the 
aggressive disposition of the British Government. 
The popularity of John Hancock had now become 
odious to the ofl&cers of the home government, for 
when he was, in 1767, elected a member of the Ex- 
ecutive Council, the Governor rejected him.^^ In 1774 

* For some unknown reason, however, he was subsequently 
received into the Council. Governor Bernard had tried in vain 
to win him from the cause of the patriots. In 1767, before his 
election to the Council, he had complimented him with a Lieu- 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 139 

the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts unanimously 
elected him their President. The same year he was 
chosen delegate to the Continental Congress^ and Avas 
re-elected to the same station in 1775. It was some 
time during the summer of that year, that Peyton 
Eandolph vacated the Presidential chair of that body, 
and John Hancock was selected in his place. This 
was a position of the most exalted character in the 
gift of the American people. In that office he put 
forth some of his most valuable labors — for he was 
acting in that position on the ever memorable 4th of 
July, 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was 
adopted, and the old ''State House Bell" pealed forth 
" liberty throughout the land, and to all the inhab- 
itants thereof." As President of that Congress he fii'st 
signed that Declaration, and with his signature alone 
it first went forth to the Avorld. 

In consequence of ill health, Mr. Hancock resigned 
the office of President of Congress in 1777, with a 
view of passing the remainder of his life in the retire- 
ment of his domestic circle ; but his countrymen re- 
garded his public services too highly to allow him the 
pleasure, and he was, therefore, soon afterward elected 
a member of the Convention to form a Constitution 
for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. His labors 
in that Convention were marked with his usual bold- 
ness, and " upon him Avas first conferred the honor, 
under the inst]'ument of their adoption, of being Gov- 
ernor of the Province, or State." This office he held 
for five consecutive years, by annual election. He 

tenant's commission, but Hancock, seeing clearly the nefarious 
design which it but half concealed, tore up the commission in 
the presence of the people. 



140 INDEPENDENCE HALL : 

declined the office for two years, but afterward ac- 
cepted, and filled tliat position until his death, in 1793. 
He was Governor during the exciting period of the 
adoption of the Federal Constitution, and its final 
ratification by the several States ; " and his wisdom 
and firmness proved greatly salutary in restraining 
those lawless acts which a spirit of disafi:ection toward 
the general government had engendered in ISTew En- 
gland — particularly in Massachusetts and New Hamp- 
shire." John Hancock acted in many other official 
capacities, and always Avith vigor and decision of cha- 
racter. But as years passed, he assumed the appear- 
ance of advanced age. One who saw him in 1782, 
says that he had been repeatedly and severely afflicted 
with gout, probably owing in part to the custom of 
drinking punch — a common practice in high circles in 
those days. As recollected at that time, Hancock 
was nearly six feet in height and of thin person, 
stooping a little, and apparently enfeebled by disease. 
His manners were very gracious, of the old style, a 
dignified complaisance. His face had been very 
handsome. Dress was adapted quite as much to the 
ornamental as useful. Gentlemen wore wigs when 
abroad, and commonly caps when at home. At this 
time, about noon, Hancock was dressed in a red velvet 
cap, within which was one of fine linen. The latter 
was turned up over the lower edge of the velvet one, 
two or three inches. He wore a blue damask gown 
lined with silk, a white satin embroidered waistcoat, 
black satin small-clothes, white silk stockings and 
red morocco slippers. It was a general practice in 
genteel families to have a tankard of punch made in 
the morning and placed in a cooler when the season 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 141 

required it. At this visit, Hancock took from the 
cooler standing on the hearth a full tankard, and drank 
first himself and then offered it to those present. On 
one occasion, at a banquet, when Hancock was pres- 
ent, there were not less than fifty or sixty at table, 
but the host did not sit at meat with them. He ate 
at a little side-table, and sat on a wlieel-chair, in which 
he wheeled himself about the general table to speak 
with his gnests. This was because of his gout, of 
which he made a political as well as social excuse for 
doing as he pleased. On the occasion in question, 
when the guests were in the height of an animated con- 
versation, and just as the cloth Avas withdrawn, they 
were interrupted by a tremendous crash. A servant, in 
removing a cut-glass epergne, which formed the central 
ornament of the table, let it fall, and it was dashed in 
a thousand pieces. An awkward silence fell upon 
the company, who hardly knew how to treat the acci- 
dent, when Hancock relieved their embarrassment by 
cheerfully exclaiming, '^ James, break as much as you 
like, but don't make such a confounded noise about 
it !" And under cover of the laugh this excited, the 
fragments were removed, and the talk went on as if 
nothing had happened. This, evidently, was the 
presence of mind of true good breeding. His apparel 
was sumptuously embroidered with gold, silver, laco 
and other decorations fashionable amono^ men of for- 
tune of that period. He wore a scarlet coat with 
ruffles on his sleeves, which soon became the prevail- 
ing fashion ; and it is related of Dr. Nathan Jacques, 
the famous pedestrian of West Newbury, that he 
passed all the way from that place to Boston in one 



142 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

day, to procure cloth for a coat like that of John Han- 
cock, and returned with it under his arm, on foot. 

Such were the character, habits, and customs of this 
distinguished man. We have the biography of no 
greater political hero ; and to his efforts, in a great de- 
gree, we owe the prosperity and happiness of our 
great and rapidly advancing country. He was mar- 
ried in 1773 to a Miss Quincy, a relative of the 
Adamses, by whom he had one son. This child, how- 
ever, died at an early age ; and, ripe for the tomb, 
with honors of an exalted character on his head and 
full of years, in October, 1793, John Hancock paid 
the debt of nature, and Avas laid calmly to rest among 
the graves of his fathers, leaving an example w^ell 
worthy of emulation of young men of the rising 
generation. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 143 



CHAPTEK XII. 

THOMAS JEFFERSON". 

^^ Dignum laude virum Musa vetat mori.^^ — Horace. 
The muse forbids the virtuous man to die. 

Among the names indelibly impressed on tlie pages 
of undying history, or emblazoned on the scroll of 
Fame, perhaps there is no one more conspicuous than 
that of Thomas Jefferson. If other names received 
honors in military points of view, and have chaplets 
of eternal laurels entwined about their memories, the 
great author of the "Declaration of Independence" 
stands equally prominent before the world — equally 
admired and renowned for his civic and political hero- 
ism. Science and Literature bear unmistakable wit- 
ness of his master spirit, and the development of our 
Nationality received its strongest supports from his 
pen. As Hamilton was properly designated '^the Pen 
of the Ee volution," Thomas Jefferson may, with equal 
propriety, be called "the Pruning Hook of Political 
Economy." For it was through the instrumentality 
of his essays and writings that Southern chivalry re- 
ceived patriotic impulses, and the cause of Freedom 
and Independence was advanced. It was by his 
labors, to a great extent, that a spirit of resistance to 
the oppressive dictation of Great Britain was evoked 
in the South, and took such deep root in the senti- 



14:4 INDEPENDENCE HALL : 

ments of the people. Thomas Jefferson was early im- 
bued with the principles of Liberty, and when he first 
heard the eloquent speech of Patrick Henry on the 
''Stamp Act," new and vigorous impulses lighted up 
his mind, and gave additional incentives to his politi- 
cal character. From that moment he was another 
man — his future course was decided ; he had chosen 
for his guiding principles the emancipation of his 
countrymen from bondage, by the establishment of 
institutions wherein the character and dignity of 
American citizens, with high national prerogatives, 
should be respected abroad and productive of good at 
home. His character was that of a pure patriot, un- 
sullied by selfish motives for personal aggrandize- 
ment, and every act of his political career he consci- 
entiously believed to be in consonance with the im- 
mutable decrees o^ justice and truth, as expounded in 
the great volumes of ''Eevelation and Human Eights." 
Wherever the cause of Independence could be served, 
or the rights of mankind advanced, there Jefferson's 
influences were felt and his effe>rts exerted. But per- 
haps we cannot give, in the space allotted to us 
for a brief memoir of this great man, anything better 
than the facts employed by Mr. Lossing, in his biog- 
raphy of Thomas Jefferson. He says that Mr. Jeffer- 
son's family were among the early British emigrants 
to Virginia. His ancestors came from Wales, from 
near the great Snowdon mountains. His grandfather 
settled in Chesterfield, and had three sons, Thomas, 
Field, and Peter. The latter married Jane, daughter 
of Isham Eandolph, of Goochland, of Scotch descent ; 
and on the 13th of April, 1743, she became the mother 
of the subject of this sketch. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 145 

They resided at that time at Shadwell, in Albemarle 
County; Virginia. Thomas was the oldest child. His 
father died when he was fourteen years old, leaving a 
widoAV and eight children — two sons and six daughters. 
He left a handsome estate to his family, and the lands, 
which he called Monticello, fell to Thomas, where the 
latter always resided, when not engaged in public 
duty, and where he lived at the time of his death. 
Thomas entered a grammar-school at the age of five 
years, and when nine years old he commenced the 
study of the classics with a Scotch clergyman named 
Douglass. On the death of his father, the Eev. Tvlr. 
Murray became his preceptor ; and in the spring of 
1760 he entered William and Mary College, where he 
remained two years. From Dr. William Small, a 
professor of mathematics in the college, he received 
his first philosophical teachings, and the bias of his 
mind concerning subjects of scientific investigation, 
seemed to have received its initial impetus from that 
gentleman. Through his influence, in 1762, young- 
Jefferson was admitted as a student-at-law, in the 
oflice of George Wythe, the intimate friend of Gov- 
ernor Fauquier, at whose table our subject became a 
welcome guest. In 1765, while yet a student, Jeffer- 
son heard the celebrated speech of Patrick Henry 
against the Stamp Act, and fired by its doctrines, he 
at once stood forth the avowed champion of American 
Freedom. So manifest were his talents that in 1769 
he was elected a member of the Virginia Legislature, 
and became at once active and popular there. He 
made strong but unsuccessful efforts in the Virginia 
Assembly for the emancipation of the slaves. He 
filled that station until the period of the Eevolution, 
18 



146 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

when he was called to the performance of more ex- 
alted duties in the national council. He was married 
in January, 1772, to Mrs. Martha Skelton, a wealthy 
widow of twenty-three, who was the daughter of John 
WaleS; an eminent Virginia lawyer. 

When the system of committees of correspondence 
was established, in 1773, Mr. Jefferson was a member 
of the first committee in Virginia, and was very active 
with his pen. In 1774 his powerfully-Avritten pamph- 
let was published, called " A Summary View of the 
Eights of British America." It was addressed to the 
king, and was published in England under the auspi- 
ces of Edmund Burke. This pamphlet gave great 
offense to Lord Dunmore, the Koyal Governor of 
Virginia, who threatened to prosecute him for high 
treason. And because his associates in the Virginia 
Assembly sustained Jefferson, Dunmore dissolved it. 
The}^ assembled in a private capacity, and drew up a 
remonstrance, which had a powerful effect upon the 
people. The Governor perceived that his acts were 
futile, and lie allowed the matter to rest. He Avas 
elected a delegate to represent Virginia in the Conti- 
nental Congress of 1775, and for several years he was 
one of the most efficient members of that body. He 
soon became distinguished among the men of talents 
there, although comparatively young; and when, in the 
succeeding year, a committee was appointed to draft 
a Declakation of Independence, he was chosen 
one of the members. Althouo'h the younsfcst member 
of the committee, he was appointed Chairman, and was 
requested by the others to draw up the instrument, 
which he did, and his draft was adopted, with very 
few verbal amendments, on the 4th of Julv, 1770. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 147 

This instrument forms a more lasting monument to 
his talent and patriotism than eloquent panegyric or 
sculptured epitaph. 

During the summer of 1776, he was elected to a 
seat in the Virginia Assembly, and desirous of serving 
his own State, he resigned his seat in Congress and re- 
turned to Virginia. He was soon afterward appointed 
a joint commissioner, with Dr. Franklin and Silas 
Deane, for negotiating treaties with France ; but cir- 
cumstances caused him to decline the acceptance of 
the proffered honor, and he continued in Virginia 
during the remaining period of the Eevolution, actively 
engaged in the service of his State. He received a 
third election to Congress, but declined it, and was 
succeeded by Benjamin Harrison, the father of Presi- 
dent Harrison. From the early part of 1777 to the 
middle of 1779, Mr. Jefferson was assiduously em- 
ployed, conjointly with George Wythe and Edmund 
Pendleton, on a commission for revising the laws of 
Virginia. The duty was a most arduous one ; and to 
Mr. Jefferson belongs the imperishable honor of being 
the first to propose, in the Legislature of Virginia, the 
laws forbidding the importation of slaves ; converting 
estates tail^" into fee simple ; annulling the rights of 

* A law entitled/ee tail was adopted in the time of Edward I. 
of England, and at the period in question extended to all the 
English Colonies. It restrained the alienation of land and tene- 
ments by one to whom they had heen given, with a limitation 
to a particular class of heirs. A fee simple estate is one in 
which the owner has absolute power to dispose of it as he 
pleases ; and if in his possession when he dies, it descends to 
his heirs in general. 



148 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

primogeniture ;'^ establisliing scliools for general edu- 
cation ; and confirming tlie rights of freedom in reli- 
gious opinions. 

Congress having resolved not to suffer the prisoners 
captured at Saratoga, under Burgoyne, to leave the 
United States until the conditions entered into by 
Gates and Burgoyne should be ratified by the British 
government, they were divided and sent to the differ- 
ent States, to be provided for during the interval. A 
division of them was sent, early in 1779, into the in- 
terior of Virginia, near the residence of Mr. Jefferson, 
and his benevolent feelings were strongly exhibited 
by his sympathy for these enemies of his country. 
The prisoners were in great distress, and Mr. Jeffer- 
son and his friends did all in their power to alleviate 
their sufferings. An apprehended scarcity of pro- 
visions determined Governor Patrick Henry to re- 
move them to another part of the State, or out of it 
entirely. Mr^ Jefferson interceded with the Governor 
in their behalf, disapproving of the measure. At this 
the officers and men were allowed to remain. The 
soldiers were very grateful to Mr. Jefferson, and when 
they were about to depart for England they united in 
a vpte of thanks to him. Mr. Jefferson, in reply, dis- 
claimed the performance of any great service to them, 
and said : ^' Opposed as we happen to be in our senti- 
ments of duty and honor, and anxious for contrary 
events, I shall, nevertheless, sincerely rejoice in every 
ciretimstance of happiness and safety which may 
attend you personally." 

* This riglit belongs to tlie eldest sou, who succeeds to the 
estates of his ancestors to the exclusion of his brothers and 
sisters. This is still the law in England. 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 149 

In June, 1779, Mr. Jefferson succeeded Mr. Henry 
as Governor of Virginia, and the close of his adminis- 
tration was a period of great difficulty and danger. 
His State became the theatre of predatory warfare ; 
the infamous Arnold having entered it with British 
and tory troops, and commenced spreading desolation 
with fire and sword along the James River. Rich- 
mond, the capital, was partly destroyed, and Jefferson 
and his council narrowly escaped capture. He tried, 
but in vain, to get possession of the person of Arnold, 
but the wily traitor was too cautious for him. Very 
soon after his retirement to private life, Tarleton, who 
attempted to capture the members of the Jjegislature 
convened at Charlottesville, a short distance from 
Jefferson's residence, came very near taking him 
prisoner. Jefferson had sent his family away in his 
carriage, and remained to attend to some matters in 
his dwelling, when he saw the cavalry ascending a 
hill toward his house. He mounted a fleet horse, 
dashed through the woods, and reached his family in 
safety. 

M. De Marbois, Secretary of the French Legation in 
the United States, having questioned Mr. Jefferson 
respecting the resources, etc., of his native State, he 
wrote, in 1781, his celebrated work entitled "Notes 
on Virginia." The great amount of information which 
it contains, and the simple perspicuity of its style, 
made its author exceedingly popular in Europe as a 
writer and a man of science, in addition to his cha- 
racter as a statesman. In 1782 he was appointed a 
Minister Plenipotentiary to assist others in negotiating 
a treaty of peace with Great Britain. He was soon 
after elected a delegate to Congress, and was chair- 
13^ 



150 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

man of tlie committee, in 1783; to whom tlie treaty 
with Great Britain was referred. In 1784, he wrote 
an essay on coining and currency for the Uni'ted 
States, and to him we are indebted for the convenient 
denomination of our federal money, the dollar as a 
unit, and the system of decimals. In May of that 
year, he was appointed, with Adams and Franklin, a 
minister to neo^otiate treaties of commerce with foreio^n 
nations. Dr. Franklin having obtained leave to re- 
turn home, Mr. Jefferson was appointed to succeed 
him as Minister at the French Court, and he remained 
in France until October, 1789. While there, he be- 
came popular among the literati, and his society was 
courted by the leading writers of the day. During 
his absence the Constitution had been formed, and 
under it Washington had been elected and inaugurated 
President of the United States. His visit home was 
under leave of absence, but Washington offered him a 
seat in his Cabinet as Secretary of State, and gave 
him his choice to remain in that capacity, or return 
to France. He chose to remain, and he was one of 
the most efficient aids to the President during the 
stormy period of his first administration. He differed 
in opinion with Washington respecting the kindling 
revolution in France^ but he agreed with him on the 
question of the neutrality of the United States. His 
bold avowal of democratic sentiment, and his ex- 
pressed sympathies with the struggling populace of 
France in their aspirations for republicanism, made 
him the leader of the democratic party, then opposed 
to the federal administration of Washington, and in 
1793 he resigned his scat in the Cabinet. 

In 1796 he was the republican candidate for Presi- 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 151 

dent, in opposition to John Adams. Mr. Adams suc- 
ceeded, and Mr. Jefferson was elected Vice-President. 
In 1800 lie was again nominated for President, and 
received a majority of votes over Mr. Adams. Two 
of Aaron Burr's friends withdrcAV, and Mr. Jefferson 
was elected. Mr. Jefferson's administration continued 
eight years, he having been elected for a second term. 
The most prominent measures of his administration, 
were the purchase of Louisiana from France ; the em- 
bargo on the commerce and ocean-navigation of the 
United States ; the non-intercourse and non-importa- 
tion system ; the gunboat experiment ; the suppression 
of Burr's expedition down the Mississippi Eiver ; and 
the sending of an exploring company to the regions of 
the Rocky Mountains, westward to the Pacific Ocean. 
Mr. Jefferson also introduced the practice of commu- 
nicating with Congress by message, instead of by a 
personal address ; a practice followed by all the Presi- 
dents since his time. At the close of his second Presi- 
dential term, Mr. Jefferson retired to private life, and 
amid the quiet scenes of Monticello, he spent the re- 
maining seventeen years of his being, in philosophical 
and agricultural pursuits. Through his instrumen- 
tality, a University Avas founded in 1818, at Char- 
lottesville, near Monticello, of which he was Rector 
until his death, and a liberal patron as far as his 
means would allow. Toward the close of his life his 
pecuniary affairs became embarrassed and he was 
obliged to sell his librar}^, Avhich Congress purchased 
for thirty thousand dollars. A short time previous to 
his death he received permission from the Legislature 
of Virginia to dispose of his estate by lottery, to pre- 



152 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

vent it being sacrificed to pay his debts. He did not 
live to see it consummated. 

In the spring of 1826 his bodily infirmities greatly 
increased, and in June he was confined wholly to his 
bed. About the first of July he seemed free from dis- 
ease, and his friends had hopes of his recovery ; but 
it was his own conviction that he should die, and he 
gave directions accordingly. On the 3d he expressed 
an ardent desire to live until the next day, to breathe 
the air of the 50th anniversary of his country's inde- 
pendence. His wish was granted, and on the morn- 
ing of the 4th, after having expressed his gratitude to 
his friends and servants for their care, he said, with a 
distinct voice, '^ I resign myself to my God, and my 
child^ to my country." These were his last words, 
and about noon on that glorious day he expired. It 
was a most remarkable coincidence, that two of the 
committee (Mr. Adams and Mr. Jefferson) Avho drew 
up the Declaration of Independence — who signed it — 
who successively held the office of Chief Magistrate — 
should have died at nearly the same hour, on the 50th 
anniversary of that solemn act. He was a little over 
eighty -three years of age at the time of his death. Mr. 

* Mrs. Randolph, whom he tenderly loved. Just before he 
died he handed her a morocco case, with a request that she 
would not open it until after his decease. It contained a poet- 
ical tribute to her virtues, and an epitaph for his tomb, if any 
should be placed upon it. He wished his monument to be a 
small granite obelisk, with this inscription : 

Here was buried 

Thomas Jeffeksox. 

Author of the Declaration of Independence ; 

Of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom : 

And Father of the University of Virginia. 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 153 

Jefterson's manner was simple but dignified, and liis 
conversational powers were of the rarest value. He 
was exceedingly kind and benevolent, an indulgent 
master to his servants, liberal and friendly to his 
neighbors. He possessed remarkable equanimity of 
temper, and it is said he was never seen in a passion. 
His friendship was lasting and ardent and he Avas con- 
fiding and never distrustful. Sach is a brief outline 
of the history and character of this remarkable man. 
Politicians looked upon him as a most thoroughly 
qualified teacher of political science, and every way 
worthy to be regarded as authority on all points of 
governmental policy. Even at the present day the 
principles promulgated by him are regarded as the 
basis of correct political economy, by many distin- 
guished patriots, and would be productive of great 
service to the progress of our institutions, were they 
not distorted and abused by interested individuals for 
sinister motives and personal aggrandizement. 



154 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 



CHAPTER XIII. 



RICHAED STOCKTON. 



^'■Integra mens aiigustisshna possessio."" 
A mind fraught with integrity is the noblest possession. 

Although one of the most prominent and inflnen- 
tial characters who figured in the Colonial struggles 
of our country, the portrait of Richard Stockton is 
not among those representing his distinguished col- 
leagues, which grace the Hall of and add to the hal- 
lowed associations connected with the " Old State 
House." There are many endearing recollections 
clustering around the history of this interesting build- 
ing which have no pictorial representation to please 
the inspection of strangers, or impress the lover of 
freedom and national honor with thoughts of patriot- 
ism. And among these is the memory of brave, bold 
patriots, who signed the Declaration, whose portraits 
have not been placed in this holy edifice — but whose 
biographies teem with valorous and undying fame. 
Such is the case with reference to Richard Stockton. 
As a signer of that great instrument which led to the 
emancipation of the United Colonies from the op- 
pressive control of Great Britain ; as a jurist, a states- 
man, and a man of talent ; as a soldier and sufferer in 
the cause of his country, he should have the same 
deference extended to his memory, by placing his por- 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 155 

trait among the glorious galaxy of heroes, whose like- 
nesses illustrate the walls of Independence Hall. 
Reminiscences of such men come up before us while 
contemplating the scenes of our country's exaltation, 
and we feel that the shrines where such relics ought 
to be preserved are incomplete without them. It is 
true, history will keep their memories bright, but their 
forms should be preserved on living canvas, or made 
in^mortal in sculptured marble. We feel a holy rev- 
erence come over us while meditating on the places 
^here deeds of valor have been performed by chival- 
rous and noble men, and although their achievements 
glow brilliantly on the scroll of Fame, and forbid 
their names to die, yet there is something needed to 
intensify our thoughts and keep them more vividly 
concentrated on the history of the past. In no way 
can this be done more effectually than by painting in 
hues of glory, or representing in sculptured figures 
life-like portraitures of such patriots. Every signer 
of the ''Declaration of Independence" belongs to In- 
dependence Hall. Their faces should glow within its 
sacred precincts with as much brightness as their fame 
graces and glorifies the pages of history. The City 
Councils could confer no greater blessing to posterity 
and to the archives of the country than by placing 
such representations there, together with all interest- 
ing relics which may be associated with their names. 
Upon such, future generations, as they visit this Mecca 
of our nation, can look with rapt admiration, and 
realize that they behold the actual representations of 
those who periled their "lives, their fortunes, and 
their sacred honor" for the cause of Freedom, and 
nobly discharged their duties with a price set upon 



156 INDEPENDENCE HALL : 

tlieir heads. Siicli men knew no fear — were unac- 
quainted with hesitation in the cause of political and 
social liberty, and they set themselves gibout the work 
they had to do with tliat unyielding determination 
which could not fail of success. And they did 
succeed. 

The subject of this chapter was a man of sterling 
integrity, intensely devoted to the cause of his country, 
the interests of its institutions, and was a shining 
ornament to the legal profession of his day. His fore- 
parents were natives of England, and emigrated to the 
New World some time between the years 1660 and 
1670. Soon after they arrived here they purchased a 
large tract of land at Princeton, in New Jersey, and 
erected on it a fine mansion, and in it Kichard Stock- 
ton was first ushered into the world. Richard was the 
grandfather of Com. Robert Field Stockton, whose 
versatility of talent and patriotic impulses have made 
him so popular and highly esteemed. But in the 
scope of an article like this, we are unable to dwell 
minutely on incidents in the life of Richard Stockton 
— enough that we know he was a signer of the 
''Declaration of Independence," and aided Avith his 
talents, his physical exertions, and his fortune, the 
cause of American Freedom. AVe Avill, therefore, 
permit a short biography to suffice, as we Avish to 
advert hereafter to all the noble heroes who partici- 
pated in declaring the Colonies free. 

Richard Stockton was born upon the Morven 
Estate, on the first of October, 1730. He pursued his 
studies preparatory to a collegiate course, at an 
academy in Maryland, and after two years thus spent, 
he entered New Jersey College, then located at New- 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 157 

ark. He graduated in 1748, and was placed as a 
student-of-law under the Hon. David Ogden, of New- 
ark. Mr. Stockton was admitted to -the bar in 1754. 
and rose so rapidly in liis profession, that in 1763 he 
received the degree of sergeant-at-law, a high dis- 
tinction in the English Courts, and then recognized in 
the Colony of New Jersey. In June, 1766, Mr. Stockton 
embarked for London, and during the fifteen months 
he remained in Enp^land, he was treated with flatterini]^ 
distinction by the most eminent men in the realm. 
While there he was not unmindful of his alma mater ^ 
and he obtained considerable patronage for New 
Jersey College. His services w^ere afterward grate- 
fully acknowledged by that institution. 

At the time Mr. Stockton was in England, American 
affairs had assumed so much importance that partisan 
feelings had sprung up there, and as a consequence, 
the opinions of so distinguished an American were 
sought for. By invitation, Mr. Stockton spent a week 
at the country seat of the Marquis of Eockiugham, 
and on his making a tour to Edinburg, he was enter- 
tained by the Earl of Leven, and other noblemen. At 
Edinburg he was received by the Lord Provost, in 
the name of the citizens, and by a unanimous vote, 
the freedom of the city was conferred iipon him. 
During his stay there he visited Doctor Witherspoon, 
at Paisley, who afterward became a resident in the 
Colonies, and a signer of the instrument declaring 
their emancipation from British rule. Improvement 
in his profession being his chief object in visiting 
Grreat Britain, Mr. Stockton was a constant attendant 
upon the higher courts, when in London, and often 
v^isited the theatre, to witness the eloquence of Garrick. 
14 



158 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

He returned home in September, 1767, and was greeted 
with universal esteem by his countrymen. 

In 1768 Mr. Stockton was chosen a member of the 
Eoyal Executive Council of New Jersey, and in 1774 
he was placed upon the bench of the Supreme Court 
of that Province. Having been honored by the per- 
sonal regard of the king, and possessing an ample 
fortune, it would have seemed natural for him to have 
remained loyal ; but like Lewis Morris, his principles 
could not be governed by self-interest, and he espoused 
the cause of the patriots. The Provincial Congress 
of Kew Jersey elected him a delegate to the General 
Congress in 1776, and he took his seat in time to par- 
ticipate in the debate upon the proposition for Inde- 
pendence. At first he seemed doubtful of the expe- 
diency of an immediate Declaration of Independence, 
but after hearing the sentiments of nearly all, and the 
conclusive argumerits of John Adams, he voted in 
favor of the measure, and cheerfully signed the 
Declaration. 

In September of that year, Mr. Stockton received 
an equal number of votes with Mr. Livingston, for 
Governor of New Jersey, but for urgent reasor|s his 
friends gave the election to his competitor. He was 
at once elected Chief Justice of the State, but he de- 
clined the honor. He was afterward sent to the aid 
of General Schuyler. Soon after his return, he was 
obliged to hasten to his family to prevent their cap- 
ture by the British army, then pursuing Washington 
and his little band across New Jersey. He removed 
them to the house of a friend about thirty miles dis- 
tant, but there he was captured by a party of refugees, 
who were guided to his retreat by a treacherous neigh- 



ITS HISTOEY AND ASSOCIATIONS. lob 

bor of his friend. He remained a prisoner for some 
time, and on account of his position as one of the 
signers of the Declaration of Independence, he was 
treated with great severity. The hardships he en- 
dured shattered his constitution. He suffered greatly 
from cold, and at one time he was kept twenty-four 
hours without a particle of food. Congress took up 
his cause, and threatened Lord Howe with retaliation 
upon British prisoners. This had its efi'ect, and he 
was soon afterward exchanged, when he found him- 
self almost a beggar, through the vandalism of the 
British in destroying his estate, and by the deprecia- 
tion of the continental paper currency. He was seized 
with a despondency at this, from which he never re- 
covered. A cancer in the neck also hurried him 
toward the grave, and he died on the twenty- eighth 
of February, 1781, in the fifty-first year of his age. 
It is gratifying, however, to realize the fact, that the 
patriotism of the Stockton's did not die with him. It 
was transferred to his children, as his son Com. E. F. 
Stockton, amply illustrates. He has been tried in 
many positions of public trust, and in all has vindi- 
cated the American character with the honor of a 
patriot. His history is a portion of our nation's glory, 
and in him is perpetuated the patriotic blood that 
coursed so warmly in the veins of his noble ancestor. 



160 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 



CHAPTER XIV. 

DH. JOSIAH BARTLETT. 

Among the men of lofty tliouglit and aim, 
He stood a towering prodigy of strength. 

As a signer of the Declaration of Independence Mr. 
Bartlett should be remembered to remotest posterity. 
Attached as is his signature to that immortal docu- 
ment, it will live when marble columns have crumbled, 
or life-like portraitures of the painter have faded from 
the canvas — yet undying as will be his memory while 
a thought of Freedom or Liberty burns in the breasts 
of our nation, Independence Hall seems incomplete 
without Ms Uheness. A man who figured so conspicu- 
ously in the political scenes of the troublous times in 
which he resided, and who took so active a part in 
the formation of our republican government and in- 
stitutions, ought not to sleep in his grave uncom- 
memorated on canvas: his noble form should occupy 
some niche in Independence Hall, where his features 
could be admired by all who desired to visit this 
sacred Temple, and gaze on the holy relics of the past. 
Mr. Bartlett should be there among the portraits of 
his colleagues, to give historical eclat to the room, as 
well as to add to the sacredness of the place, and the 
Councils should exercise patriotism enough to have it 
placed there in an appropriate style. In this con- 



ITS HISTOEY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 161 

nection it is our purpose to give a brief biography of 
Mr. Bartlett, and we are indebted to Mr. Lossing for 
the facts we shall use. 

Josiah was born in Amesburj, Massachusetts, in 
November, 1729. His mother's maiden name was 
Webster: she was a relative of the family of the 
great statesman of that name, of our times, but who 
has recently deceased. Young Bartlett lacked the 
advantage of a collegiate education, but he improved 
an opportunity for acquiring some knowledge of the 
Greek and Latin, which was ofi'ered him in the family 
of a relative, the Eev. Dr. Webster. He chose for a 
livelihood the practice of the medical profession, and 
commenced the study of that science when he was 
sixteen years old. His opportunities for acquiring 
knowledge from books were limited, but the active 
energies of his mind supplied the deficiency, in a 
measure, and he passed an examination with honor 
at the close of his studies. He commenced practice 
at Kingston, in New Hampshire, and proving skillful 
and successful, his business soon became lucrative, and 
he amassed a competency. Mr. Bartlett was a stern, 
unbending Eepublican in principle; yet, notwith- 
standing this, he was highly esteemed by Wentworth, 
the Koyal Governor, and received from him a magis- 
trate's commission, and also the command of a regi- 
ment of militia. In 1765 he was elected a member 
of the Provincial Legislature of New Hampshire. It 
was at the time when the Stamp Act was before the 
British Parliament, and Mr. Bartlett soon became a 
prominent leader of the party that opposed the various 
oppressive measures of the home government. Through 
14* 



162 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

Wentwortb, magmiicent bribes were offered him, but 
liis patriotism was inflexible. 

In 1776 lie was appointed a member of the Com- 
mittee of Safety of his State. The Governor was 
alarmed when this Committee was appointed, and to 
prevent the transaction of other business of a like 
nature, he dissolved the Assembly. They reassembled 
in spite of the Governor, and Dr. Bartlett was at the 
head of this rebellious movement. He was soon after 
elected a member of the Continental Congress, and in 
1775 Governor Wentworth struck his name from the 
magistracy list and deprived him of his military com- 
mission. Still he was active in the Provincial As- 
sembly ; and the Governor, despairing of reconcilia- 
tion, and becoming somewhat alarmed for his own 
safety, left the Province. The Provincial Congress 
assumed the reins of government, and immediately 
reappointed Dr. Bartlett Colonel of the Militia. 

In August, 1775, he was again chosen a delegate to 
the Continental Congress, and was again re-elected in 
1776. He was one of the committee appointed to 
devise a plan for the confederation of the States, as 
proposed by Dr. Franklin. He warmly supported the 
proposition for Independence, and when, on the second 
of August, 1776, the members of Congress signed the 
Declaration, Dr. Bartlett was the first who af&xed 
his signature, New Hampshire being the first State 
called. 

In 1778, he obtained leave from Congress to visit 
his family and look after his private affairs, which had 
become much deranged. He did not resume his seat 
again in that body. In 1779 he was appointed Chief 
Justice of the Court of Common Pleas of New Hamp- 



ITS HISTOEY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 163 

shire, and the muster- master of its troops. He was 
afterward raised to the bench of the Supreme Court. 
He took an active part in the Convention of his State, 
in favor of the Constitution of 1787; and when it was 
adopted; he was elected a member of the Senate that 
convened under it in the city of New York. But he 
declined the honor, and did not take his seat there. 
He had been previously chosen President of ISTew 
Hampshire; and held that responsible office until 
1793; when he was elected the first Governor of that 
StatC; under the Federal Constitution. He held the 
office one year, and then resigning it, he retired to 
private life, and sought that needful repose which the 
declining years of an active existence required. He 
had served his country faithfully in its hour of deepest 
peril, and the benedictions of a free people followed 
him to his domestic retreat. But he was not per- 
mitted long to bless his family with his presence, nor 
was he allowed to witness his country entirely free 
from perils of great magnitude that threatened its de- 
struction, while the elements of the new experiment 
in government were yet unstable, for in 1795 death 
called him away. He died on the 19 th of May, of 
that year, in the 66th year of his agC; regretted by a 
large circle of warm friendS; and lamented as a na- 
tional loss. Thus passed away from the scenes of 
active life, not only in the private walks of duty, but 
in the discharge of onerous ]3olitical labors, one whose 
whole life was devoted to the good of his country. 
And would it not be but a very small mark of re- 
spect; and yet befitting in every sense of the word, for 
some patriotic body; or individual; to procure a life- 
like portrait of JosiAH Bartlett, to hang in " Inde- 



164 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

pendence Hall," where the relics connected with those 
brave old heroes should all be placed ? Let us see 
who will first move in the matter. His native State 
should possess sufficient liberality to perform such an 
act of justice. 



ITS HISTOEY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 165 



CHAPTER XV. 

SAMUEL ADAMS. 

His history too embraces much 
That Freedom's heroes won. 

This emiDent man and distinguislied patriot of tlie 
Revolution, was born in Boston, Massacliiisetts, on 
the 22d of September, 1722. He was of pilgrim an- 
cestors, and had been taught the principles of Freedom 
from his infancy. His father was a man of consider- 
able wealth, and was for a series of years a member 
of the Massachusetts Assembly, under the Colonial 
government. It was his aim and pride to give Samuel 
a liberal education, and after a preparatory course of 
study, he entered him at Harvard College, Cambridge, 
where, in 1740, at the age of eighteen years, he took 
his degree of A. B. He was uncommonly sedate, and 
very assiduous in the pursuit of knowledge while a 
pupil. Mr. Lossing, and other biographers say that 
his father destined him for the profession of the law, 
but this design was relinquished, and he was placed 
as an apprentice with Thomas Cushing, a distinguished 
merchant of Boston, and afterward an active patriot. 
His mind, however, seemed fixed on political sub- 
jects,^ and the mercantile profession presented few 

* In connection with a genial companion, he wrote a series of 
political essays for a newspaper called the " Independent Ad- 
vertiser." They incurred the nickname, by way of derision, of 
the ''Whipping Club." 



166 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

charms for liim. His father furnislied him with ample 
capital to commence business as a merchant, but his 
distaste for the profession, and the diversion of his 
mind from its demands, by politics, soon caused him 
serious embarrassments, and he became almost a 
bankrupt. When Samuel was twenty-five years old, 
his father died, and the cares of the famity and estate 
devolved on him, as the oldest son. Yet his mind 
was constantly active in watching the movements of 
the British government, and he spent a great deal of 
his time in talking and writing in favor of the resist- 
ance of the Colonies to the oppressions of the crown 
and its ministers. He took a firm and decided stand 
against the Stamp Act, and its antecedent kindred 
schemes to tax the Colonies. As early as 1763 he 
boldly expressed his sentiments relative to the rights 
and privileges of the Colonies ; and in some instruc- 
tions which he drew up for the guidance of the Boston 
members of the General Assembly in that year, he 
denied the right of Parliament to tax the Colonies 
without their consent — denied the supremacy of Par- 
liament, "and suggested a union of all the Colonies, as 
necessary for their protection against British aggres- 
sions. It is asserted that this was the first public ex- 
pression of such sentiments in America, and that they 
were the spark that kindled the flame upon the altar 
of Freedom here. 

In 1765 Mr. Adams was chosen a representative 
for Boston, in the General Assembly, and became 
early distinguished in that body for his intelligence 
and activity. He became a leader of the opposition 
to the royal Governor, and treated with disdain the 
efforts made to silence him, although the offers prof- 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 167 

fered would have placed him in affluent circumstances. 
When the Governor was asked why Mr. Adams had 
not been silenced by office, he replied that ''such is 
the obstinacy and inflexible disposition of the man 
that he can never be conciliated by any office or gift 
whatever." And when, in 1774, Governor Gage, by 
authority of ministers, sent Colonel Fenton to offer 
Adams a magnificent consideration if he would cease 
his hostility to government, or menace him with all 
the evils of attainder, that inflexible patriot gave this 
remarkable answer to Fenton : ''I trust I have long- 
since made my peace with the King of kings. No 
personal consideration shall induce me to abandon the 
righteous cause of my country. Tell Governor Gage 
it is the advice of Samuel Adams to him, no longer to 
insult the feelings of an exasperated people." He was 
chosen Clerk of the House of Eepresentatives ; and he 
originated the " Massachusetts Circular," which pro- 
posed a Colonial Congress to be held in JSTew York, 
and which was held there in 1766. During the ex- 
citement of the Boston Massacre, he was among the 
most active; and chiefly through his influence, and 
the boldness with which he demanded the removal of 
the troops from Boston, was that object effected. 

Mr. Adams, and Eichard Henry Lee, of Virginia, 
almost simultaneously proposed the system of Com- 
mittees of Correspondence, which proved such a 
mighty engine in bringing about a union of senti- 
ment among the several Colonies previous to the 
bursting out of the Eevolution. This, and other bold 
movements on his part, caused him to be selected as 
an object of ministerial vengeance, and when Governor 
Gage issued his proclamation, offering pardon to all 



168 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

who would return to their allegiance, Samuel Adams 
and Jolm Hancock were alone excepted. This greatly 
increased their popularity, and fired the people with 
indignation. Adams was among those who secretly 
matured the plan of proposing a general Congress, and 
appointing delegates thereto, in spite of the opposition 
of Governor Gage. The governor hearing of the 
movement in the General Assembly, then sitting at 
Salem, sent his secretary to dissolve them, but he 
found the door locked, and the key was safely lodged 
in Samuel Adams's pocket. Mr. Adams was one of 
the five delegates appointed, and he took his seat in 
that body on the fifth of September, 1774. He con- 
tinued an active member of Congress until 1781, and 
was among those who joyfully affixed their signatures 
to the Declaration of Independence. The journals of 
Congress during that time show his name upon almost 
every important committee of that body. And prob- 
ably no man did more toward bringing about the 
American Kevolution, and in effecting the Indepen- 
dence of the Colonies, than did Samuel Adams. He 
was the first to assert boldly those political truths 
upon which rested the whole superstructure of our 
confederacy — he was the first to act in support of 
those truths — and when, in the General Council of 
States, Independence was proposed, and the timid 
faltered, and the over-prudent hesitated, the voice of 
Samuel Adams was ever loudest in denunciations of 
a temporizing policy, and also in the utterance of 
strong encouragement to the faint-hearted. " I should 
advise," said he, on one occasion, ^'persisting in our 
struggle for liberty, though it were revealed from 
heaven that nine hundred and ninety-nine were to 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 169 

perish, and only one of a thousand were to survive 
and retain his liberty ! One such freeman must pos- 
sess more virtue and enjoy more happiness, than a 
thousand slaves ; and let him propagate his like, and 
transmit to them what he hath so nobly preserved." 

Mr. Adams retired from Congress in 1781, but not 
from public life. He was a member of the Convention 
to form a Constitution for Massachusetts, and was on 
the committee who drafted it. He was successively a 
member of the Senate of that Commonwealth, its 
President, Lieutenant-Governor, and finally Governor. 
To the latter office he was annually elected, until the 
infirmities of age obliged him to retire from active 
life. He expired on the third day of October, 1803, 
in the eighty-second year of his age. 
15 



170 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 



CHAPTER XVI. 

WILLIAM WHIPPLE. 

"Bold, fearless, undaunted, and bi-ave, 
In the hour of trial and gloom, 
He swore e'er he'd yield as a slave 
His body should sink in the tomb." 

This distinguished signer of tlie Declaration of In- 
dependence, altliougli, like many of his heroic com- 
patriots, his portrait is not to be found in Indepen- 
dence Hall, was born in Kittery, in New Hampshire 
— that portion which now comprises the State of 
Maine — in the year 1730. His early education, says 
what little biography we have of him, was received at 
a common school in his native town. When, how- 
ever, he was q^uite a lad, he embarked in the occupa- 
tion of a sailor, and followed the sea for several years. 
But when he was about thirty years of age, he left the 
sea, and engaged in the mercantile business, with his 
brother, Joseph Whipple, in Portsmouth, New Hamp- 
shire. When the difficulties arose between this and 
the mother country, William early espoused the cause 
of the Colonies, and soon became a leader among the 
opposition to British authority. In 1775 he Avas 
elected a member of the Provincial Congress of New 
Hampshire, and was chosen by that body one of the 
Committee of Safety. These committees were organ- 
ized in several of the States. Their business was to 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 171 

act as an executive body to regulate the general con- 
cerns of the government during the continuance of the 
war. These committees were of vast importance, and 
acted efficiently in conjunction with the committees 
of correspondence. In some instances they consisted 
each of the same men. When, in 1775, the people of 
that State organized a temporary government, Mr. 
Whipple was chosen a member of the council. In 
January, 1776, he was chosen a delegate to the Con- 
tinental Congress, and was among those who, on the 
fourth of July of that year, voted for the Declaration 
of Independence. He remained in Congress until 
1777, when he retired from that body, having been 
appointed a Brigadier-General of the New Hampshire 
Militia. He was very active in calling out and equip- 
ping troops for the campaign against Burgoyne. He 
commanded one brigade and General Stark the other. 
He was under Gates at the capture of Burgoyne, and 
was one of the commissioners to arrange the terms of 
capitulation. He was afterward selected one of the 
officers to march the British prisoners to Cambridge, 
near Boston. He joined Sullivan in his expedition 
against the British on Khode Island in 1778, with a 
pretty large force of New Hampshire Militia; but 
the perverse conduct of the French Admiral D'Estaing, 
in not sustaining the siege of Newport, caused a fail- 
ure of the expedition, and General Whipple, with his 
brigade, returned to New Hampshire. The Count 
D'Estaing agreed to assist Sullivan in reducing the 
town of Newport, but just as he Avas entering the har- 
bor, the fleet of Lord Howe, from New York, appeared, 
and he proceeded to attack him. A storm prevented 
an engagement, and both fleets were greatly damaged 



172 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

by the gale. D'Estaing, instead of remaining to assist 
Sullivan, sailed for Boston, under the pretense of re- 
pairing liis shattered vessels. 

In 1780 he Avas offered tlie situation of Commis- 
sioner of the Board of Admiralty, but declined it. In 
1782 he was appointed by Eobert Morris, financial 
agent in New Hampshire,* but he resigned the trust 
in the course of a year. During that year, he was 
appointed one of the Commissioners to settle the dis- 
pute between Pennsylvania and Connecticut, concern- 
ing the Wyoming domain, and was appointed Presi- 
dent of the Court. He was also appointed, during 
that year, a side Judge of the Superior Court of New 
Hampshire. The early western boundary of Con- 
necticut, before the organization of New York, was, 
like most of the other States on the Atlantic, quite in- 
definite. A Colony from this Province had settled in 
the Wyoming Yalley, and that region Avas not in- 
cluded in New York. It was Avithin the bounds of 
Pennsylvania, hence the dispute. At that time the 
Courts in Ncav Hampshire Avere constituted of four 
Judges, of Avhom the first, or Chief Justice, only, Avas 
a laAvyer, the others being chosen from among civilians, 
distinguished for sound judgment, and a good educa- 
tion. Soon after his appointment, in attempting to 
sum up the arguments of counsel, and submit the case 
to the jury, he was attacked Avith a violent palpitation 
of the heart, which ever after troubled him. In 1785 
he AVas seriously affected Avhile holding court, and re- 

* Robert Morris Was then tlie manager of tlie finances of the 
Confederation, and these agents in the various States were a 
kind of sub-treasurers. Hence it was an office that required 
honest and faithful incumbents. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 173 

tiring to his chamber, he never left it again while 
living. He expired on the twenty- eighth day of 
November, 1785, in the fifty -fifth year of his age. He 
requested a post-mortem examination, which being 
done, it was found that a portion of his heart had be- 
come ossified or bony. Thus terminated the valuable 
life of one who rose from the post of a cabin-boy to a 
rank among the first men of his country. His life 
and character present one of those bright examples of 
self-reliance which cannot be too often pressed upon 
the attention of the young ; and although surrounding 
circumstances had much to do in the development of 
his talents, yet, after all, the great secret of his suc- 
cess was doubtless a hopeful reliance upon a conscious 
ability to perform any duty required of him. In the 
revolutionary struggle for American Independence, 
many a young man, who commenced the active scenes 
of life under the most disadvantageous circumstances, 
arose by self-exertion and activity, to prominence and 
respect. The names of many of those men are now 
emblazoned on the scroll of Fame, and will remain as 
bright stars in the galaxy of our country's heroes* 
Such a name is that of Mr. AYhipple, and 

"While the fir-tree is green, 
Or the winds roll a wave, 
The tear-drop shall brighten 
The tnrf of the brave." 

15^ 



174 INDEPENDENCE HALL 



CHAPTEB XVII. 

JOHN ADAMS. 

One of the stern and dauntless few 
Whose name made despots tremble. 

DuEiNG the struggle for Independence there was 
no loftier geniiiS; no purer patriot, who took part in 
that memorable contest, than the subject of this me- 
moir. The town in which he was born was then 
called Braintree, but was subsequently changed to that 
of Quincy, a name which it still retains, and is situ- 
ated in the old Commonwealth of Massachusetts. John 
Adams was born October 30, 1735. He was a direct 
lineal descendant, in the fourth generation, from Henry 
Adams, who fled from the persecution in England 
during the reign of the first Charles. It will be re- 
membered that Archbishop Laud, the spiritual ad- 
viser of Charles I., influenced no doubt by the Eoman 
Catholic Queen Henrietta Maria, took especial pains 
to enforce the strictest obcservance of the Liturgy of 
the established Church of England, in the Church of 
Scotland, and also in the Puritan churches. Those 
individuals and congregations who would not conform 
to these requirements were severely dealt with, and 
these persecutions drove a great many to the western 
world, where they might worship God according to 
the dictates of their own consciences. The maternal 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 175 

ancestor of Jolin Adams was Jolm AlcIeU; a passenger 
in the Mayflower, and thus he inherited from his 
parentage the title of a '^ Son of Liberty," which Avas 
in due conrse of time given to him and others. Col. 
Barre was the first to designate those American pa- 
triots thus, on the floor of the British House of Com- 
mons. His primary education was derived in a school 
at Braintree, and there he passed through a preparatory 
course of instruction for Harvard University, where 
he graduated when he was only twenty years of age. 
Having chosen the law as a profession, says his biog- 
rapher, he entered upon the study of it with an emi- 
nent barrister in Worcester, by the name of Putnam. 
There he had the advantage of sound legal instruc- 
tion, and through Mr. Putnam he became acquainted 
with many distinguished public men, among whom 
Avas Mr. Gridley, the Attorney-General. The first in- 
tervicAV awakened sentiments of mutual regard, and 
3^oung Adams Avas alloAved the free use of Mr. Grid- 
ley's extensive library, a privilege of great value in 
those days. It Avas a rich treasure thrown open to 
him, and its value Avas soon apparent in the expansion 
of his general knoAvledge. He Avas admitted to the 
bar in 1758, and commenced practice in Braintree. 
At an early period young Adams's mind was turned 
to the contemplation of the general politics of his 
country, and the atmosphere of liberal principles in 
which he had been born and nurtured, gave a patriotic 
bias to his judgment and feelings. He Avatched 
narroAvly the movements of the British GoA^ernment 
toAvard the American Colonies, and was ever out- 
spoken in his condemnation of its oppressive acts. 
In 1761 he was admitted as a barrister. The busi- 



176 INDEPENDENCE HALL*. 

ness of his profession increased, and his acquaintance 
among distinguished politicians extended so rapidly 
that he became an active public man, and in 1765, 
when the Stamp Act had raised a perfect hurricane 
in America, he wrote and published his " Essay on 
the Canon and Feudal Laws." This great work soon 
won for, and placed him in high public esteem. The 
same year he became associated with James Otis and 
others, in demanding, in the presence of the Koyal 
Governor, that ''the Courts should dispense with 
stam2')ed ^xiper in the administration of justice." 

Some time during the year 1766 Mr. Adams married 
Abigail Smith, daughter of a pious clergyman of 
Braintree, and soon afterward he removed to Boston. 
There he was actively associated with Hancock, Otis, 
and other prominent men, in the various measures 
which had been proposed in favor of liberty, and the 
general welfare of the people, and was very efficient 
in the endeavor to have the military removed from 
the town. Governor Bernard tried to bribe him to 
silence, at least, by offers of lucrative offices, but he 
disdainfully rejected all his overtures — thus showing 
himself a patriot m principle as well as in name. How 
would some of our present political patriots compare 
with him ? Mr. Adams was applied to for the pur- 
pose of defending Captain Preston and his men, when 
they were arraigned for murder, after the ''Boston 
Massacre ;" and although popular favor on one side, 
and the demands of justice and humanity on the other, 
were the horns of the dilemma between which Mr. 
Adams was placed by tlie application, he accepted it, 
and defended the prisoners successfully. Captain 
Preston was acquitted, and notwithstanding the in- 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS, 177 

tense excitement that existed against the soldiers, the 
patriotism of Mr. Adams was too pure to make this. 
his defense of the enemy, a cause for withdrawing 
from him the confidence which the people had already 
placed in him. He was esteemed the higher by his 
friends for the noble act, and the people were satisfied, 
as was evident by their choosing him, that same year, 
a representative in the Provincial Assembly. Mr. 
Adams became very obnoxious to both Governors 
Bernard and Hutchinson. He was elected to a seat 
in the Executive Council, but the latter erased his 
name. He was again elected when Governor Gage 
assumed authorit}^, and he too erased his name. These 
things increased his popularity. Soon after the ac- 
cession of Gage, the Assembly at Salem^ adopted a 
proposition for a general Congress, and elected five 
delegates thereto in spite of the efforts of the Governor 
to prevent it. John Adams was one of those dele- 
gates, and took his seat in the first Continental Con- 
gress convened in Philadelphia on the fifth of Sep- 
tember, 1774. He was again elected a delegate in 
1775, and through his influence, George Washington, 
of Yirginia, was elected Commander-in-Chief of all 
the forces of the United Colonies. Mr. Adams did 
not nominate Washington, as has been frequently 
stated. He gave notice that he should "propose a 
member of Congress from Virginia," which was un- 

* The "Boston Port Bill," so-called, whicli was adopted by 
Parliament, closed the port of Boston, removed the Custom 
House therefrom, its laws, courts, etc., and the meeting of the 
Provincial Assembly was called at Salem. This oppressive act 
was intended to have a twofold effect — to punish the Bostonians 
for the tea riot and awe them into submission to the Royal will. 
But it effected neither. 



178 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

derstood to be Washington, but for reasons that do 
not appear npon the journals, he was nominated by 
Thomas Johnson, of Maryland. 

On the 6th of May, 1776, Mr. Adams introduced a 
motion in Congress ''that the Colonies should form 
governments inclependeM of the GroicnJ^ This motion 
was equivalent to a declaration of independence, and 
when, a month afterward, Kichard Henry Lee intro- 
duced a motion more explicitly to declare the Colonies 
free and independent, Mr. Adams was one of its 
warmest advocates. He was appointed one of the 
committee to draft the Declaration of Independence,* 
and he placed his signature to that document on the 
2d of August, 1776. After the battle of Long Island 
he was appointed by Congress, with Dr. Franklin and 
Edward Eutledge, to meet Lord Howe in conference 
upon Staten Island, concerning the pacification of the 
Colonies. According to his prediction, the mission 
failed. Notwithstanding his great labors in Congress, 
he was appointed a member of the Council of Massa- 
chusetts, while on a visit home, in 1776, the duties of 
which he faithfully fulfilled. During the remainder 
of the year 1776, and until December, 1777 (when he 
was sent on a foreign mission), he was member of 
ninety-nine different committees, and chairman of 
twenty-five. 

In 1777 Mr. Adams was appointed a special com- 
missioner to the Court of France, whither Dr. Frank- 
lin had previously gone. Finding the subject of his 
mission fully attended to by Franklin, Adams re- 
turned home in 1779. He was immediately called to 

* The committee consisted of Dr. Franklin, Thomas Jeffer- 
son, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATION'S. 179 

the duty of forming a Constitution for his native State. 
While in the discharge of his duty in Convention, 
Congress appointed him a Minister to Great Britain, 
to negotiate a treaty of peace and commerce with that 
government. He left Boston in the French frigate 
La Sensible, in October, 1777, and after a long pas- 
sage, landed at Ferrol, in Spain, whence he journeyed 
by land to Paris. He found England indisposed for 
peace if American Independence was to be the sine 
qua non, and was about to return home, when he re- 
ceived from Congress the appointment of Commis- 
sioner to Holland, to negotiate a treaty of amity and 
commerce with the States-General. The confidence 
of Congress in him was unlimited, and he was intrusted 
at one time with the execution of no less than six 
missions, each of a different character. These com- 
missions empowered him, 1st, to negotiate a peace 
with Great Britain ; 2d, to make a treaty of commerce 
with Great Britain; 3d, the same with the States- 
General ; 4th, the same with the Prince of Orange ; 
oth, to pledge the faith of the United States to the 
Armed Neutrality ; 6 th, to negotiate a loan of ten 
millions of dollars. In 1781 he was associated with 
Franklin, Jay, and Laurens, as a commissioner to 
conclude treaties of peace with the European powers. 
In 1782 he assisted in negotiating a commercial 
treaty with Great Britain, and was the first of the 
American Commissioners who signed the definite 
treaty of peace with that power. In 1784 Mr. Adams 
returned to Paris, and in January, 1785, he was ap- 
pointed Minister for the United States at the Court of 
Great Britain. That post he honorably occupied until 
1788, when he resigned the office and returned home. 



180 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

While Mr. Adams was absent, the Federal Consti- 
tution was adopted; and it received his hearty ap- 
proval. He was placed upon the ticket with Wash- 
ington for Vice-President, at the first election under 
the new Constitution, and was elected to that office. 
He was re-elected to the same office in 1792, and in 
1796 he was chosen to succeed Washington in the 
Presidential chair. In 1801 he retired from public 
life. In 1816 he was placed on the Pemocratio ticket 
as Presidential elector. In 1818 he lost his wife, with 
whom he had lived fifty.two years in uninterrupted 
conjugal felicity. In 1824 he was chosen a member 
of the Convention of Massachusetts to revise the Con- 
stitution, and was chosen President of that body, which 
honor he declined on account of his great age. In 
1825 he had the felicity of seeing his son elevated to 
the Presidency of the United States. In the spring 
of 1826 his physical powers rapidly declined, and on 
the fourth of July of that year he expired, in the 
ninety-second year of his age. On the morning of 
the fourth it was evident he could not last many 
hours. On being asked for a toast for the day, the 
last words he ever uttered — words of glorious import 
— fell from his lips, '' Independence foeever !" On 
the very same day, and at nearly the same hour, his 
fellow-committee-man in drawing up the Declaration 
of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, also died. It was 
the fiftieth anniversary of that glorious act, and the 
coincidence made a deep impression upon the public 
mind. His portrait graces '^Independence Hall," and 
is numbered sixteen. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 181 



CHAPTER XYIII. 

WILLIAM HUNTINGTON. 

"Whoe'er amidst the sons 
Of reason, valor, liberty and virtue, 
Display distinguisli'd merit, is a noble 
Of nature's own creating. Such have risen. 
Sprung from the dust ; or where had been our honors ?" 

— Thomson. 

The subject of this memoir, who was one of the 
noble patriots whose name gave vitality and efficiency 
to the Declaration of Independence, was born in 
Windham, Connecticut, on the second day of July, 
1732. His ancestors and relatives were among the 
first settlers of that State, and located themselves at 
Saybrook. The father of William Huntington was a 
farmer, and at those times when educational advan- 
tages were of an inconsiderate character among the 
hardy pioneers, tlie only opportunities he was able to 
allow his son, were those derived from the common 
schools in his vicinity, and these were few and not 
very important. But, nevertheless, William mani- 
fested a great desire for learning, and studiously ap- 
plied himself to his books. In this way the active 
energies of his mind surmounted the many impedi- 
ments to his advancement interposed by a want of 
proper educational advantages for developing his in- 
tellectual powers. By dint of persevering industry 
16 



182 INDEPENDKNCE HALL: 

and hard study, in the course of a few years he ob- 
tained considerable knowledge of the Latin language. 
When he arrived at the age of twenty-two, he selected 
for his vocation in life the legal profession, and com- 
menced studying law. Like Sherman he was obliged 
to pursue it from borrowed books, and even without 
an instructor. But notwithstanding all these diffi- 
culties and disadvantages, he succeeded in mastering 
its intricacies, and before he arrived at the age of 
thirty years, he had good practice in his Dative vil- 
lage. After perfecting himself in the law, and se- 
curing great popularity in the town where he had 
pursued his legal studies with so much ardor and 
attention, he removed to Norwich, where he had a 
wider field in which to exhibit his talents, and where 
he soon acquired a practice commensurate with his 
skill and attainments. 

In the year 1764 Mr. Hunting-ton was chosen by 
the people to represent them in the Assembly of Con- 
necticut, and the year folloAving he was made a mem- 
ber of the Council. Whatever position in which he 
was placed, he discharged its duties Avith fidelity and 
ability ; while in the various callings of political sta- 
tion his labors were siicli as to elicit the confidence 
and esteem of his constituents. In 1774 he was made 
an Associate Judge of the Superior Court, and the 
next year he was appointed one of the Connecticut 
Delegates to the General Congress. Li this capacity 
he remained until the subsequent year, when he at- 
tached his signature to the instrument declaring the 
Colonies "free and independent States," He continued 
a member of that Congress nearly five consecutive 
years, and won the reputation of being one of the 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 183 

most active and efficient men in that body ; for it was 
soon discovered by his opposers that his integrity was 
stern and unbending — that offers of high position, and 
glittering bribes from British emissaries could not 
lure him from the path of rectitude — and so con- 
spicuous became his sound judgment and untiring in- 
dustry, that in 1779 he was appointed President of 
Congress, at that time the highest office in the country. 
This appointment was to fill the vacancy occasioned 
by the sending of John Jay as Minister Plenipotentiary 
to Spain, for the purpose of negotiating a treaty of 
aniity and commerce with that nation. He held that 
office until his health became so enfeebled that he 
could not discharge its arduous duties without en- 
dangering his life, and he was finally compelled to 
send in his resignation, which Congress very reluct- 
antly consented to accept. 

After his resignation he returned to Connecticut, 
where he resumed the responsibilities incident to the 
offices he held in the Council and on the bench, both 
of which had been continued while he was in Con- 
gress. In 1783 he again took his seat in Congress, 
but left it again in November of the same yeai-, and 
retired to his family. We find it recorded in his 
biography, 'Hhat soon after his return, he was ap- 
pointed Chief Justice of the Superior Court of his 
State. In 1775 he was elected Lieutenant-Governor, 
and was promoted to the Chief Magistracy in 1786, 
which office he held until his death, which occurred 
at Norwich, on the fifth day of January, 1796, in the 
sixty-fourth year of his age. Governor Hunting-ton 
lived the life of the irreproachable and sincere Chris- 
tian, and those who knew him most intimately, loved 



184 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

him the most affectionately. He was a thoughtful 
man, and talked but little — the expression of his mind 
and heart was put forth in his actions. He seemed to 
have a natural timidity, or modesty, which some mis- 
took for" the reserve of haughtiness, yet with those 
Avith whom he was familiar, he was free and winning 
in his manners. Investigation was a prominent cha- 
racteristic of his mind, and when this faculty led him 
to a conclusion, it was difficult to turn him from the 
path of his determination. Hence as a devoted Chris- 
tian and a true patriot, he never swerved from duty, 
or looked back after he had placed his hand to the 
work." 

The cultivation of such a decisive faculty is Avorthy 
of emulation by our rising young men, for it is the 
strong arm that will lead them safely through many 
difficulties, and win for them that sentiment of reliance 
in the minds of others, which is so essential in securing 
their esteem and confidence. It was this very neces- 
sary and predominant faculty which constituted the 
chief aid to William Huntington in his progress from 
the humble calling of a plow-boy to the acme of 
official station, where true greatness was essential, and 
to which none but the truly good may aspire. In all 
his dealings Avith his fellow-men, whether in a social 
or political capacity, he never allowed partisan feel- 
ings to overbalance his judgment, or lead him into the 
support of measures at variance with true republican 
principles, or the demands of moral dut}^ In this re- 
spect he Avas a model of greatness, and Avill, therefore, 
maintain an honorable place in history and in the 
warm affections of the people, Avhile the stars and 
stripes of oar happy country float majestically over a 



- ITS HISTOEY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 185 

nation of freemen. By the side of Richard Henry- 
Lee and Charles Carroll, of CarroUton, in Old Inde- 
pendence Hall, his portrait hangs, as fresli and vigorous 
as when it left the hands of the artist, and in every 
lineament of its features may still be read that stern 
decision of purpose which characterized his whole 
career through life. Although the artist's skill has 
transferred to canvas an inanimate semblance of that 
once living patriot, his noble efibrts in the cause of 
Independence would have transmitted his fame to im- 
mortality, and Independence Hall would forever echo 
his name. 

" How sleep the brave wlio sink to rest 
By all tlieir country's wislies blest ! 
When spring with dewy fingers cold, 
Returns to deck their hallow'd mould, 
She there shall dress a sweeter sod 
Than fancy's feet have ever trod. 
By fairy hands their knell is rung, 
By forms unseen their dirge is sung, 
There honor comes, a pilgrim gray, 
To bless the turf that wraps their clay; 
Freedom shall awhile repair, 
To dwell a weeping hermit there." 

16* 



186 INDEPENDENCE HALL*. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



OLIVEK WOLCOTT. 



"His deeds stand briglitly on the scroll of fame, 
No patriot lias a more exalted name." 

The name of Wolcott, sajs Mr. Lossing, appeared 
among the early settlers of Connecticut, and from tliat 
day to this, it has been distinguished for living scions, 
honored for their talents in legislation or literature. 
It appears, however, that his English ancestor, Henry 
Wolcott, first settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts, 
after his arrival in 1630. Six years afterward, he, 
with a few associates, moved to AYindsor, in Con- 
necticut, and formed a settlement there. He was 
among the first who organized the government of that 
State, and obtained a charter from King Charles II. 
But the subject of this brief memoir was born in 
the town of Windsor, on the 26th of November, 
1726. His father was a distinguished man, having 
been Major-General, Judge^ Lieutenant-Governor, and 
finally Governor of the State of Connecticut. Oliver 
Wolcott entered Yale College at the age of seventeen 
vears, and o-raduated with the usual honors in 1747. 
He received a captain's commission in the army, and 
raising a compau}^ immediately, he oiarched to the 
northern frontier to confront the French and Indians. 
The IVeaty of Aix-la-Chapelle terminated the hostili- 



ITS HISTOKY ANL> ASSOCIATJOXS. l^Y 

ties, and he returned liomc. He arose regularly from 
Captain to Major-General. Young Wolcott now 
turned his attention to the study of medicine, under 
his distinguished uncle, Dr. Alexander AYolcott; but 
when he had just completed his studies, he was aj)- 
pointed Sheriff of the newly organized county of 
Litchfield. In 177-i he was elected a member of the 
Council of his native State, and he was annually re- 
elected until 1786, notwithstanding he was during that 
time a Delegate to the Continental Congress, Chief 
Justice of Litchfield Count}", and also a Judge of Pro- 
bate of that District. Mr. Wolcott was appointed by 
the first General Congress one of the Commissioners of 
Indian affairs for the Northern Department ; and he 
performed excellent service to the American cause by 
his influence in bringing about an amicable adjustment 
of the controversy between Connecticut and Penn- 
sylvania concerning the Wyoming settlement, a con- 
troversy at one time threatening serions effects upon 
the confederacy. 

Toward the close of 1775, Mr. Wolcott was elected 
a delegate to the second General Congress, and took 
his seat in January, 1776. He took a prominent pai't 
in the debates respecting the Independence of tlie 
Colonies, and voted for, and signed that glorious 
Declaration of American disenthralment. Soon after 
tliis act was consummated, he returned home, and was 
immediately appointed by Governor Trumbull and 
the Council of Safety to the command of a detach- 
ment of Connecticut militia, consisting of fourteen 
regiments, destined for the defense of New York. 
After the battle of Long Island, he returned to Con- 
necticut, and in N(.)veinber of that year he resumed 



188 INDEPENDENCE HALL : 

his seat in Congress, and was in that body when they 
fled to Baltimore on the approach of the British toward 
Philadelphia; at the close of the year 1776. During 
the latter part of the summer of that year, he was 
actively engaged in the recruiting service ; and after 
sending General Putnam, Avho was then on the Hud- 
son Eiver, several thousand volunteers, he took com- 
mand of a body of recruits, and joined General Gates 
at Saratoga. He aided in the capture of General Bur- 
goyne and his army in October, 1777, and soon after- 
ward he again took a seat in Congress, then assembled 
at York, in Pennsylvania, where he continued until 
July, 1778. It will be remembered that, during the 
Eevolution, Congress held its sessions in Philadelphia, 
but on several occasions was obliged to retreat to a 
more secure position. At the close of 1776 it ad- 
journed to Baltimore, when it Avas expected Corn- 
wallis would attack Philadelphia, after his successful 
pursuit of Washington across New Jersey. Again, 
when Howe marched upon Philadelphia in September, 
1777, Congress adjourned to Lancaster, and three days 
afterward to York, where its sessions were held during 
the winter the American army were encamped at 
Valley Porge. In the summer of 1779, Oliver Wol- 
cott took command of a division of Connecticut mili- 
tia, and undertook, with success, the defense of the 
southwestern sea-coast of that State, then invaded by 
a British army. The British force was led by Gen- 
ei'al Tryon, of New York, and was characterized as a 
plundering and desolating expedition. Fairfield and 
Norwalk were laid in ashes, and the most cruel 
atrocities were inflicted upon the inhabitants, without 
regard to sex or condition. Houses were rifled, the 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIGWS. 189 

persons of the females abused, and many of them fled 
half naked to the woods and swamps in the vicinity 
of their desolated homes. 

From that time until 1783, Oliver Wolcott was al- 
ternately engaged in civil and military duties in his 
native State, and occasionally held a seat in Congress. 
In 1784 and 1785 he was an active Indian agent, and 
was one of the six commissioners who prescribed 
terms of peace to the '' Six Nations of Indians," who 
inhabited Western New York. History informs us 
that the five Indian Tribes, the Mohawks, the Oneidas, 
the Onondagas, the Cayugas, and the Senecas, had 
formed a confederation long before they were dis- 
covered by the whites. It is not known when this 
confederation was first formed, but when the New 
England settlers penetrated westward, they found this 
powerful confederacy strongly united, and at war with 
nearly all of the surrounding tribes. The Onondagas 
seemed to be the chief nation of the confederacy, for 
with them the great council fire was specially de- 
posited, and it was kept always burning. Their un- 
disputed domain included nearly the whole of the 
present area of the State of New York. They sub- 
dued the Hurons and Algonquins in 1657, and in 
1665, they almost annihilated the Eries. In 1672 
they destroyed the Andastes, and in 1701 they pene- 
trated as far south as the Cape Fear River, spreading 
terror and desolation in their path. They warred 
with the Cherokees, and almost exterminated the 
Catawbas, and when in 1674, they ceded some of their 
lands to Virginia, they reserved the privilege of a 
war path through the ceded domain. In 1714 they 
were joined by the Tuscaroras of North Carolina, and 



190 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

since that time the confederacy has been known as 
the Six Nations. Tliey uniformly took sides with the 
British; and entered into a compact with them against 
the French in 1754. In the war of the Eevoliition, 
" the whole confederac}^," says De Witt Clinton, " ex- 
cept a little more than half the Oneidas, took up arms 
against us. They hung like the scythe of death upon 
the rear of our settlements, and their deeds are in- 
scribed with the scalping-knife and the tomahawk, in 
characters of blood, on the fields of Wyoming, and 
Cherry Yalley, and on the banks of the Mohawk." 

In 1786 General Wolcott was elected Lieutenant- 
Governor of Connecticut, and was re-elected every 
year until 1796, when he was chosen Governor of the 
State. He was elected again to that office in 1797, 
and held the station at the time of his death, which 
event occurred on the first day of December of that 
year, in the seventy -second year of his age. As a 
patriot and a statesman, a Christian and a man. Gov- 
ernor Wolcott presented a bright example; for in- 
flexibility, virtue, piet}^, and integrity, were his promi- 
nent characteristics. In every respect, he was a man 
of exemplary conduct, worthy of our esteem and 
emulation. 

He lived a hero in tlie cause of riglit, 
Humble in peace — unyielding in the fight ! 
He spurned the tyrant's proffered bribes of gold, 
And died as he had lived — unbought, unsold. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 191 



CHAPTER XX. 

ROBERT TREAT PAINE. 

Where Freedom stood on Plymoutli Rock 
There stood this Patriot too. 

Boston is distinguislied as being the city in which 
many valorous acts of patriotism and loyalty to the 
cause of Independence were performed, and where 
stern resistance to encroachments of European aggres- 
sions Avas made. But, perhaps, for no one incident is 
it more celebrated than for being the birth-place of so 
warm and uncompromising a patriot as the one whose 
name stands at the head of this memoir. In this cir- 
cumstance alone it has acquired a reputation favorable 
throughout the country as it is over the Common- 
wealth in which it is situated, and which will remain 
a bright spot in its history so long as she respects the 
name of Liberty and the Constitution which binds the 
Union together. Robert Treat Paine was born in 
1731. His father was a minister of the Gospel, and 
an active officiating clergyman, and his mother was 
daughter of the Rev. Mr. Treat, of Barnstable County. 
Governor Treat, of Connecticut, was his maternal 
grandfather. It will, therefore, be readily seen, that 
his connections on both sides, were of the most pious 
and religious character, and in those days of puri- 
tanical discipline, must have exerted a salutary effect 



192 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

upon him. And such were the results. In addition 
to this, the moral education of Mr. Paine, at a very 
early day, received the advantages of instruction in 
letters from Mr. Lovell, who was also the tutoi* of 
John Hancock and John Adams. Such were the 
moral and religious influences which made so marked 
and admired a character of Mr. Paine, and which 
shone so conspicuously in his after conduct. 

At the age of fourteen years Mr. Paine was admitted 
into Harvard College, where he went commendably 
through the programme of studies, and graduated 
with the usual honors. After he left college he em- 
ployed himself in the capacity of a school teacher, and 
was I'emarkably successful in that vocation. Subse- 
quently he made a voyage to Europe, where he was 
courteously received among the prominent of tlie re- 
ligious circles, and where his society was courted by 
the literati. On his return to Massachusetts he pre- 
pared himself for the ministry, in which calling he 
was chosen to accompany, as their chaplain, in 1755, 
a military expedition to the north. He Avas a man 
much esteemed by the soldiers for his meekness and 
devotion, and won friends as well in the camp as at 
his own domestic fireside. After the expedition had 
returned, Mr. Paine abandoned his theological pur- 
suits as a profession, commenced the study of law 
with Mr. Pratt afterward Chief Justice of New York 
— and wa^ admitted to practice at the bar. He com- 
menced his legal profession in Boston, the city of 
his nativity, where he attained an honorable celeb- 
rity ; but he soon afterward selected the town of 
Taunton as a place of residence. At this place he 
became a powerful rival and an inveterate opponent 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIOXS. 193 

of the distingiiislied Timothy Ruggles, who was Presi- 
dent of the Colonial or ''Stamp Act Congress," in 
1765, and opposed to some of its measures; but when 
the Eevolution broke out he took sides with the king 
and Parliament. Mr. Paine early espoused the cause 
of the Colonists, yet he conducted himself so cau- 
tiously and prudently that he retained the Governor's 
confidence. After Governor Bernard had dissolved 
the Assembly, in 1768, a Provincial Convention was 
called, which Mr. Paine attended as a delegate from 
Taunton. The reason of the Governor dissolving 
the Assembly was because, with closed doors, they 
adopted a circular to be sent to all the other Colonies, 
invitins: them to send deleg^ates to a General Colonial 
ConoTess to be held in New York. 

When the trial of Captain Pj-eston and his men oc- 
curred in 1770, the indisposition of the District At- 
torney prevented his attendance, and Mr. Paine was 
chosen as his substitute. He conducted that im- 
portant trial with great ability, achieving new laurels 
to deck his already distinguished reputation. The 
Vigilance Committee of Taunton unanimously selected 
him as its chairman in 1773, which position he filled 
to the satisfaction of the people. During the 3^ears 
1773 and 177-1 he was a member of the Provincial 
Assembly, and was appointed a commissioner to con- 
duct the proceedings in the case of the impeachment 
of Chief Justice Oliver. The ground of his impeach- 
ment was based on the fact, that he received his salary 
directly from the crown, and not from the people of 
the province, and thus was made independent of them. 
He was a firm and uncompromising advocate of a 
Continental Congress, and while he was a member of 
17 



194 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

the Assembly, in spite of Governor Gage, it elected 
delegates to tlie General Congress, of whom Mr. Paine 
was one. During the autumn of 1774 he was elected 
a member of the Provincial Congress of Massachu- 
setts, where he exhibited unusual activity in the dis- 
charge of his arduous duties. He was deputed by the 
General Congress, with two others, to visit the army 
of General Schuyler, at the north, for the purpose of 
observation. The commission was a peculiarly deli- 
cate one, but Mr. Paine and his colleagues performed 
the task with signal ability and entire satisfaction. 
Some time during the same year he was chosen a side 
judge to sit on the bench with John Adams who had 
been appointed Chief Justice of the Province of Mas- 
sachusetts. The honor thus conferred upon Mr. Paine, 
however, was declined, but his valuable services could 
not be dispensed with in a public capacity, and in 
December, he was again elected to the General Con- 
gress, and on the 4t]i of July, 1776, he was proud to 
acknowledge the privilege of voting for and signing 
the Declaration of Independence. In 1777 he was made 
Attorney-General of Massachusetts by a unanimous 
vote of the Council and Eepresentatives, and he held 
the office until 1790, when he was appointed a Judge 
of the Supreme Court. Subsequently he was chosen 
a member of the Convention that framed the Consti- 
tution of his native State. For fourteen years he dis- 
charged his duties as judge, but in 1804 he left the 
bench, on account of the approaching infirmities of 
age. He died in 1814 at the age of 84 years. Thus 
passed through the most troublous times in our 
country's history one of the purest patriots that ever 
lived. His lonsr and active life was devoted almost 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 195 

exclusivel}^ to the public service, and a grateful people 
duly appreciated liis labors. Few men ever attain an 
eminence of character so devoid of offense, and few- 
pass from the public arena more honored and re- 
spected. Although his portrait is not found with his 
compatriots who signed the Declaration of Indepen- 
dence, in Independence Hall, his name and memory 
are associated with theirs and the history of that 
hallowed room, with imperishable lustre and undying 
honor. 

" Be just, and fear not ; 

Let all the ends thou aimst at be thy country's, 

Thy God's, and Truth's ; then if thou fall'st, Cromwell, 

Thou fall'st a blessed martyr !" 



190 INDEPENDENCE HALL 



CHAPTEE XXI. 

PHILIP LIVINGSTON. 

Bold, and nnflincliing in tlie cause of riglit, 
He stood a liero in liis Christian miglit — 
His love of Freedom, and his honor'd name, 
Won for tlie future an undying fame. 

The Revolutionary era was one marked witli names 
of stern patriots — an epoch of momentous events. 
Patriotism in its unadulterated character, uncontarni- 
nated even by the slightest taint of corruption, was 
then exhibited by thousands of hardy yeomanry ; and 
associated with the brilliant names of that retinue of 
distinguished men, none shone with a purer lustre, or 
stand more conspicuousl3^ before the world than that 
of Livingston. Like the name of AYolcott, from 
the early settlement of our country to the present 
time, that name has been honored and regarded with 
a sense of emulation. The subject of this biography, 
was born in Albany on the fifteenth day of January, 
1716. He was descended from a Minister of the Gos- 
pel who, in 1G63, emigrated from Scotland and settled 
in Rotterdam, where he died. His son Robert, father 
of Philip, subseq^uently came to this country, and 
imder the privileges guaranteed to the patroons, ob- 
tained a grant of a large tract of land, upon the Hud- 
son River, now in Columbia County, ever since known 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 197 

as Livingston's Manor. He had three sons, of whom 
Philip was the eldest, and who became on the death 
of his father, heir to the manor. His two brothers, 
Eobert and Gilbert, were inflnential men at that time. 
The former was the father of Chancellor Livingston, 
who administered the "Inaugural Oath" to George 
Washington, in 1789, on taking the Presidential 
Chair ; and the latter was the father of the late Eev. 
John Livingston, D.D., President of Rutger's College, 
at New Brunswick, New Jersey. 

After completing a preparative course of study, he 
entered Yale College, at New Haven, wliere he grad- 
uated with distinguished honors in 1737. He at once 
turned his attention to commercial pursuits, and en- 
gaged in an extensive and lucrative business in the 
city of New York, where his integrity and upright 
dealings won for him the profound respect of the 
whole community. Mr. Livingston first entered 
upon public life in 1754, when he was elected an 
Alderman of the East Ward of the city of New 
York."^ For nine consecutive years he was re-elected 
to that office, and always gave entire satisfaction to 
his constituents. When Sir Charles Hardy, the Gov- 
ernor of the Colony of New York, was appointed a 
Bear- Admiral in the British Navy, the government 
devolved upon the Lieutenant, Delancy, who at once, 
on the resignation of the Governor, dissolved the 
General Assembly and ordered new elections. These 

* At that time the city of New York contained only about 
eleven thousand inhabitants, and what is now called Wall 
street was quite at the north end of the town. Since then a 
"change has come over" the city of New York, greatly to its 
advantage. 

17" 



19S INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

contests at that time were very warm, but the superior 
education and influence of the Livingston family se- 
cured for Philip and his brother Kobert, seats in that 
body. It was a period of much alarm and agitation, 
and required sterling men in legislative councils. Mr. 
Livingston soon became a leader among his colleagues, 
and by his superior wisdom and sagacity, measures 
were set on foot Avhich resulted in the capture from 
the French of several important frontier fortresses, 
and finally the subjugation of Canada. At that time 
the ''French and Lidiau war," was at its height, and 
the brilliant successes of Montcalm upon the northern 
frontier of ISTew York, gave the people great uneasi- 
ness. 

For a long time before the Ee volution, nearly all 
the Colonies had resident agents in England. The 
celebrated Edmund Burke was the agent in New 
York when the war broke out, and it is believed that 
his enlio-htened views of American affairs, as mani- 
fested in his brilliant speeches in Parliament in de- 
fense of the Colonies, were derived from his long-con- 
tinued and constant correspondence with Philip Liv- 
ingston, who was appointed one of a Committee of the 
New York Assembly, for that purpose. He was very 
influential in that body, and early took a decided 
stand against the nnrighteous acts of Great Britain. 
He was the associate and leader of such men as Gen- 
eral Schuyler, Pierre Van Cortlandt, Charles De Witt, 
and others, and so long as Whig principles had the 
ascendancy in the Provincial Assembly, he was the 
Speaker of the House. When Toryism took pos- 
session of the Province, he left the Assembly. In 
1774 Mr. Livinojston was elected a delegate to the 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. . 199 

first Continental Congress, and was one of the com- 
mittee who prepared the address to the people of 
Great Britain — an address replete with bold and 
original thoughts, perspicuous propositions, and con- 
vincing arguments. In reference to that Congress, 
and the address put forth by it, William Pitt, the 
great Earl of Chatham, said: "I must declare and 
aver, that, in all my reading and study — and it has 
been my favorite study — I have read Thucydides, and 
have studied and admired the master-spirits of the 
world — that for the solidity of reasoning, force of 
sagacity, and wisdom of conclusion, under such a 
complication of circumstances, no national body of 
men can stand in preference to the General Congress 
at Philadelphia.'' The next year the Assembly pre- 
sented such an array of Tories, that it was impossible 
to elect delegates to the second Congress. Accord- 
ingly, several counties, composed of New York, Al- 
bany, Dutchess, Ulster, Orange, Westchester, King's, 
and Suffolk, sent delegates to a Provincial Convention, 
which body elected delegates to a General Congress, 
among whom was Philip Livingston, and his nephew, 
Eobert R. Livingston. These delegates were vested 
with power to act as circumstances should require. 
Mr. Livingston warmly supported the proposition for 
Independence, and he voted for and signed the decla- 
ration thereof. This was sanctioned by the Provincial 
Assembly of New York. When the State govern- 
ments were formed, after the Declaration of Indepen- 
dence, Mr, Livingston was elected a member of the 
first Senate of New York, which met on the 10th of 
September, 1777. In 1778, although his health was 
in a precarious state, occasioned by dropsy in the 



200 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

chest, lie obeyed the call of duty, and took his seat 
in Congress, to which he had been elected. He had a 
presentiment that he should not return to his family, 
and accordingly, on his departure, he bade his family 
and friends a final adieu. On the 12th of June fol- 
lowing, his presentiment became a reality, and his dis- 
ease then suddenly terminated his life at the age of 
sixty-two years. No relative was near to smooth his 
dying pillow, except his son Henry, a lad of eighteen 
years, then residing in the family of General Wash- 
ington. Mr. Livingston was zealous in the promotion 
of every enterprise conducive to the public welfare, 
and has left behind him a name and fame that kings 
might covet. He was one of the founders of the New 
York Society Library ; also of the Chamber of Com- 
merce ; and was an active promoter of the establish- 
ment of King's (now Columbia) College. 

Among the portraits which grace Independence 
Hall, and lend additional lustre to the room in which 
the Declaration of our Country's freedom was promul- 
gated, is that of Philip Livingston. In the present 
arrangement of those brave heroes' names and like- 
nesses, it is numbered Seven, and no patriot can gaze 
upon that countenance, which seems to speak through 
the living canvas, without emotions of unfeigned grati- 
tude for the men who braved the storms of adversity, 
and guided the helm of experiment to the accomplish- 
ment of a national reality. The last moments of Mr. 
Livingston was spent at York, Pennsylvania, and the 
end of a good man is peace. 



ITS HISTOKY AI^D ASSOCIATIONS. 201 



CHAPTEE XXII. 

FRANCIS LEWIS. 

"Snatch from the ashes of your sires 
The embers of your former fires, 
And he who in the strife expires 
Will add to theirs a name of fear 
That tyranny shall quake to hear." — Byron''s Giaour. 

The subject of tliis biographical sketch was one of 
that noble fraternity of patriots Avho had the boldness 
and lofty decision of purpose to strike a blow for the 
cause of Freedom ; and, as a natural consequence, he 
signed the "Declaration of Independence," by which 
the Thirteen Colonies became "free and sovereign" 
States. Born in the town of Llandaff, Wales, in 1718, 
among the inspiring scenes and associations of that 
freedom-loving people, it was not strange that he 
should have inherited from infancy a deep-rooted 
hatred of all forms of despotic power and intolerance. 
And being the son of an Episcopal clergyman, and 
reared by a pious mother, under all the hallowed in- 
fluences of Christian duty, he had early learned to 
look with contempt upon priestly usurpation. But 
he was, however, at a tender age, bereft of both father 
and mother by an afflictive dispensation, and he was 
then taken in charge by a maiden aunt, who it is 
affirmed, watched over him Avith all the care and soli- 
citude of a fond and devoted parent. By this sad be- 



202 INDEPENDENCE PI ALL : 

reavement lie was, to a great extent, tlirown upon the 
world — not, however, without warm and influential 
friends and relatives. Still young as he was, he 
keenly felt their loss, which, no doubt, operated 
largely in the formation of that character so marked 
and distinguished in his after life, and which won for 
him so much esteem and fame. He received, however, 
a portion of his education in Scotland, under the care 
and superintendence of another relative, and soon be- 
came proficient not onl}^ in his native tongue — the 
Ancient Briton— but also in the Gaelic language, al 
that time mostly used in Scotland. He was afterward 
sent to Westminster by his uncle, who was Dean of 
St. Paul's, London, where his education vfas mostly 
completed. 

His words seeni'd oracles 
That pierced tlieir bosoms, and each man would turn 
And gaze in wonder on liis neighbor's face, 
Tliat with the like dumb wonder answer'd him. 

You could have heard 
The beating of your pulses while he spoke. 

When he had received a competent education, he 
went through an apprenticeship with a merchant in 
the city of London. Most of his relatives Avere in 
pretty good circumstances ; and when Francis arrived 
at the age of twenty-one years, he became the pos- 
sessor of a considerable sum of money, which he in- 
vested in merchandise and sailed for New York, in 
which city he formed a business partnership. After 
having accomplished that arrangement, he left a por- 
tion of his goods with his partner in New York, and 
conveyed the remainder to Philadelphia, and estab- 
lished a branch of his business in that city, Avhere he 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATION'S. 203 

remained some two or three years, and was remark- 
ably successful in business. He then returned to New^ 
York for the purpose of making that city his perma- 
nent place of residence. He soon after became ac- 
quainted with, and married the sister of Mr. Ansley, 
his partner, by whom he had seven children. In his 
business relations, which constantly increased, and 
had grown to an extensive degree, he was ever 
prompt and upright, and won for himself a reputation 
abroad which few of the New York merchants had, 
with much longer experience and assiduity, attained. 
In fact his commercial pursuits kept him, much of his 
time, in Europe. But when the " French and Indian 
Avar," as it is designated, broke out, he became deeply 
interested in the welfare of the English Colonies, and 
therefore was an active partisan in the Avar. At Os- 
wego he was the aid of Colonel Mercer, when Mont- 
calm conquered and took possession of that fort, in 
August, 1757. Mercer was slain in that engagement, 
and in company with other prisoners, Mr. Lewis was 
carried to Canada. Thence he was sent to France, but 
was subsequently exchanged. That battle was very 
disastrous to the English — fourteen hundred men 
were made prisoners, and thirty-four pieces of artil- 
lery, a large quantity of ammunition and stores, and 
several vessels in the harbor, fell into the hands of 
the French. The fort Avas demolished and never 
rebuilt. 

At the close of the Avar, in consideration for the 
valuable services he had rendered, he received five 
thousand acres of land from the British Government. 
During the administration of Mr. Pitt, Francis Lewis 
Avas distinguished for his republican vicAVS and no- 



204 INDEPENDENCE HALL : 

tions, for Avliicli he was elected one of tlie delegates, 
for New York in the Colonial Congress of 1765. 
When the '' Stamp Act" became a law, and non-im- 
portation agreements nearly ruined commerce; he re- 
tired from business to his country residence on Long 
Island, where 

"The fields did laugli, the flowers did freshly spring, 
The trees did bud and early blossoms bore, 
And all the choir of birds did sweetly sing, 
And told that garden's pleasures in their caroling." 

But, as the true-hearted patriot, when his country 
needs wise counsel and men of bold and uncompro- 
mising integrity, he was not permitted to remain in- 
active in the political progress of afiairs for any length 
of time. Consequently, the Convention of Deputies, 
in 1775, elected him a delegate to the General Con- 
gress. He was also elected a delegate for 1776, by 
the Provincial Assembly, and thus became one of the 
noble heroes whose signatures honor the Declaration 
of Independence. He was a member of Congress un- 
til 1778, and was always an active and ef&cient com- 
mittee-man of that body. 

The activity which Mr. Lev/is manifested in the 
cause of Freedom, as a matter of course, made him a 
shining light for the resentment of the British and 
Tories, and while the former possessed Long Island, 
they not only destroyed his property, but had tlie 
brutality to confine his wife in a close prison for 
several months, without a bed or a change of raiment, 
whereby her constitution was ruined, and she died 
two years afterward. He was not much better dealt 
with by the Tories. And here it may not be improper 



ITS HISTOEY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 205 

to remark, that the party names of Whig and Tonj 
were first used in New York, in 1774, and rapidly 
spread throughout the Colonies. The name of Tory 
was applied to the American Eoyalists, and the name 
of JV/iij was assumed by the patriots. The origin of 
these names is somewhat obscure. According to 
Bishop Burnett, the term Whig is derived from the 
Scotch word ivMggam, an instrument used for driving- 
horses* Those who drove the horses were termed 
W Id gg amoves, which was afterward abbreviated to 
Whig. The origin of the word Tory is not clear. It 
was first used in Ireland in the time of Charles II. 
Sir Eichard Philips defines the two parties thus: 
" Those are Whigs who would curb the powers of the 
Crown — those are Tories who would curb the powers 
of the people." 

Having attained to the age of nearly ninety years, 
and honored by the reverence and universal esteem 
of his countrymen, Mr. Lewis departed this life on the 
30th of December, 1803, leaving behind him a name 
which can never be efiaced from the scroll of history 
or honor. In regard to that noble patriot, there is a 
vacant niche in " Independence Hall," where his por- 
trait ought long since to have been placed in com- 
pany with others of that glorious retinue, who won 
for our country her Independence, and for us an in- 
heritance of Freedom. 

" In tlie long vista of the years to roll, 

Let me not see my country's honor fade ; 
Oh ! let me see my land retain its soul ! 

Her pride in freedom, and not freedom's shade !" 

18 



206 INDEPENDENCE HALL I 



OHAPTEE XXIII. 

JOHN WITHERSPOON. 

Conspicuous, too, among his brave compters, 
His name, immortal, stands a monument 
Of noble deeds in Fame's liigli Temple. 

John Witheespoon was, at tlie time of the Eevo- 
liition, a citizen of 'New Jersey, and stood the highest 
among tho noble advocates of the Colonies. He was 
a lineal descendant of the great reformer, John Knox, 
and was born in the parish of Yester, near Scotland, 
on the fifth of February, 1722. His father Avas a 
minister in the Scottish church at Yester, and was 
esteemed by all who knew him. It is said of him 
that he took great pains to have the early education 
of his son based upon sound, moral, and religious 
principles, and resolved at an early day to fit him for 
the ministry. Accordingly, his primary education 
was received in a school at Haddington, and at the 
age of fourteen years he was placed in the University 
of Edinburg. He was a very diligent student, and, 
to the delight of his father, his mind was specially 
directed toward sacred literature. He went through 
a regular theological course of study, and at the age 
of twenty -two he graduated a licensed preacher. He 
was requested to remain in Yester, as an assistant 
of his father, but he accepted a call at Leith, in the 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 207 

west of Scotland, where lie labored faithfully for 
several years. While he was stationed at Leith, the 
battle of Falkirk took place, between the forces of 
George the Second and Prince Charles Stuart, during 
the commotion known as the Scotch rebellion, in 
1745-6. Mr. Witherspoon and others went to witness 
the battle, which proved victorious to the rebels ; and 
lie, with several others, were taken prisoners, and for 
some time confined in the castle of Doune. From 
Leith he removed to Paisley, where he became widely 
known for his piety and learning. He was severally 
invited to take charge of a parish and flock, at Dublin, 
in Ireland ; Dundee, in Scotland ; and Eotterdam in 
Holland; but he declined them all. In 1766 he was 
invited, by a unanimous vote of the Trustees of New 
Jersey College, to become its President ; but this, too, 
he declined, partly on account of the unwillingness 
of his wife to leave the land of her nativity. But 
being strongly urged by Richard Stockton, (afterward 
his colleague in Congress, and fellow- signer of the 
Declaration of Independence) then on a visit to that 
country, he accepted the appointment, and sailed for 
America. He arrived at Princeton, with his family, 
in Auo-ust, 1768, and on the 17th of that month he 
was inaugurated President of the College. His name 
and his exertions wrought a great change in the af- 
fairs of that institution, and from a low condition in 
its finances and other essential elements of prosperity, 
it soon rose to a proud eminence among the institu- 
tions of learning in America. For a long time party 
feuds had retarded the growth of the College, and its 
finances were in such a wretched condition that re- 
suscitation seemed almost hopeless. But the presence 



INDEPEXDENCE HALL: 

of Dr. Witherspoon silenced party clissensionS; and 
awakened new confidence in the institution ; and the 
province of New Jersey, which had hitherto withheld 
its fostering aid, now came forward and endowed pro- 
fessorships in it. And now 

" Culture's liaud 
Has scatter'd verdure o'er the land, 
And smiles and fragrance rule serene, 
Wliere barren wild usurped the scene. 
And such is man — a soil which breeds 
Or sweetest flowers, or vilest weeds ; 
Flowers lovely as the morning light. 
Weeds deadly as an aconite ; 
Just as his heart is trained to bear 
The poisonous weed, or flow'ret fair!" 

When the British army invaded New Jersey, the 
College at Princeton was broken np, and the exten- 
sive knowledge of Dr. Witherspoon was called to 
play in a vastly different arena. He was called upon 
early in 1776 to assist in the formation of a new Con- 
stitution for New Jersey ; and his patriotic sentiments 
and sound judgment were then so conspicuous that, 
in June of that year, he was elected a delegate to the 
General Congress. After the abdication of the Colo- 
nial Governors, in 1774 and 1775, provisional govern- 
ments ^vere formed in the various States, and popular 
Constitutions were framed, by which they were seve- 
rally governed under the old Confederacy. Mr. 
AYitherspoon had already formed a decided opinion 
in favor of Independence, and he gave his support to 
the resolution declaring the States free forever. He 
took his seat in Congress on the 29th of June, 1776. 
On the first of July, when the subject of a Declaration 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 209 

of Independence was discussed, a distinguislied mem- 
ber remarked; that "tlie people are not ripe for a 
Declaration of Independence." Dr. Witherspoon 
observed : "" In my judgment, sir, we are not only ripe 
but rotting." On tlie 2d of August, he af&xed his 
signature to the Declaration. 

"Thy spirit, Independence, let me sliare! 
Lord of the lion heart and eagle eye, 
Thy steps I follow with my bosom bare, 
Nor heed the storms that howl along the sky. 
Deep in the frozen regions of the North, 
A goddess violated brought thee forth, 
Immortal Liberty, whose look sublime 
Hath bleach'd the tyrant's cheek in every varying clime." 

Dr. Witherspoon was a member of Congress from 
the period of his first election until 1782, except a 
part of the year 1780 ; and so strict was he in his 
attendance, that it was a very rare thing to find him 
absent. He was placed upon the most important com- 
mittees, and intrusted with delicate commissions. He 
took a conspicuous part in both military and financial 
matters, aad his colleagues were astonished at his 
versatility of knowledge. After the restoration of 
peace in 1783, Dr. Witherspoon withdrew from public 
life, except so far as his duties as a minister of the 
Gospel brought him before his congregation. He 
endeavored to resuscitate the prostrate institution over 
which he had presided. Although to his son-in-law, 
Vice-President Smith, was intrusted the active duties 
in the effort, yet it cannot be doubted that the name 
and influence of Dr. "Witherspoon were chiefly instru- 
mental in effecting the result which followed. After 
18^ 



210 INDEPENDENCE HALL*. 

urgent solicitation; he consented to go to Great Britain 
and ask for pecuniary aid for the College. In this 
movement his own judgment could not concur; for he 
knew enough of human nature to believe that while 
political resentment was still so warm there against a 
people who had just cut asunder the bond of union 
with them, no enterprise could offer charms suf&cient 
to overcome it. In this he was correct, for he col- 
lected barely enough to pay the expenses of his voy- 
age. About two years before his death he lost his 
eyesight, yet his ministerial duties were not relin- 
quished. Aided by the guiding hand of another, he 
would ascend the pulpit, and, with all the fervor of 
his prime and vigor, break the Bread of Life to the 
eager listeners to his message. As a theological 
writer. Dr. Witherspoon had few superiors, and as a 
statesman he held the first rank. In him were cen- 
tered the social elements of an upright citizen, a fond 
parent,^'' a just tutor, and humble Christian; and 
when, on the 10th of November, 1794, at the age 
of nearly seventy-three years, his useful life closed, 
it was widely felt that a "great man had fallen in 
Israel." Among the portraits hanging in the Hall 
of Independence, that of Dr. John Witherspoon is 
No. 6. It is a pity that the likenesses of all those 
distinguished individuals who signed that charter of 

* Dr. Witherspoon was twice married. By his first wife, a 
Scottish lady, he had three sons and two daughters. One of 
the latter (Frances) married Dr. David Ramsay, of South Caro- 
lina, one of the earliest historians of the American Revolution. 
She was a woman of extraordinary piety, and the memoirs of 
but few females have been more widely circulated and profitably 
read than were hers, written by her husband. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 211 

our liberties do not occupy conspicuous places in that 
hallowed and consecrated room, 

Where the patriot's eye maj turn to see, 

The hero band of Liberty, 
Who struck for freedom and their God, 

And broke the despot's iron rod. 



212 INDEPENDENCE HALL 



CHAPTER XXIY. 

EGBERT MOREIS, 

"Witliin 
The liands of men entirely great, 
The pen is mightier than the sword." 

In tlie progress of our historical reminiscences we 
"have arrived at one of those patriots whose name 
stands conspicuously brilliant on the scroll of our 
country's fame — that of Robert Morris. As a finan- 
cier of the Revolution, his qualifications were unex- 
celled. He was born in Lancashire, England, in Janu- 
ary, 1733. His father was an able and highly esteemed 
merchant in Liverpool, and extensively engaged in 
the trade with the American Colonies. When Robert 
was a small child, he was left in the care of his grand- 
mother, and his father came to this country, settled at 
Oxford, on the eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay. 
Providing himself with the necessary conveniences 
and comforts of life, he sent for his family, and when 
they arrived Robert was about thirteen years of age. 
He was placed in one of the schools at Philadelphia, 
but the deficiencies of his teacher aflbrded him but 
slight advantage in the attainment of knowledge. On 
being chided by his hither for his tardiness in learn- 
ing, he remarked —''Why, sir, I have learned all that 
he could teach inc." Young Morris was placed in the 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 213 

counting-room of Mr. Charles Willing, one of the 
leading merchants of Philadelphia, when he was 
fifteen years old, and about the same time he became 
an orphan by the sudden decease of his father. A 
ship having arrived from Liverpool, consigned to Mr 
Morris, the elder, he invited several friends to an en- 
tertainment on board. When they retired a salutf 
was fired, and • a wad from one of the guns hit Mr. 
Morris upon the arm. The wound was severe, morti- 
fied, and in a few days put an end to his existence. 
Young Morris was much esteemed by Mr. Willing, 
who gave him every advantage his business afforded ; 
and at the death of his master and friend, he had all 
the requisite qualifications for a finished and thorough 
business man. As an evidence of his general good 
conduct, it is related that Mr. Willing, on his death- 
bed, said to him : " Kobert, always continue to act as 
you have done." 

In 1754 Mr. Morris formed a mercantile business 
partnership with Mr. Thomas Willing. The firm 
soon became the most extensive importing house in 
Philadelphia, and rapidly increased in wealth and 
standing. After the passage of the Stamp Act and the 
Tea Act, non-importation agreements became general 
in the commercial cities of the Colonies. One of the 
measures adopted by the Colonists to force Great 
Britain to do them justice, was that of American mer- 
chants every where agreeing not to import any thing 
from the mother country. This had a powerful effect 
upon Parliament, (for in the Lower House the mer- 
cantile interest was strongly represented,) and led to 
the modification of several stringent measures. The 
agreements, of course, seriously affected merchants 



214 INDEJ'ENDEXCE HALL: 

here, and therein their patriotism was made peculiarly 
manifest. Willing and Morris, notwithstanding the 
great loss of business it would occasion, not only 
cheerfully entered into the plan, but did all in their 
power to induce others to do likewise. But it was not 
until the trag^edy at Lexinoton aroused the fiercest in- 
dignation of the Colonists, and extinguished all hope 
of reconciliation, that Mr. Morris tooj^ an active part 
in public affairs. It is said by Lossing, that Mr. 
Morris and a number of others, members of the St. 
George's Society, were at dinner, celebrating the anni- 
versary of St. George's day, when the news of the bat- 
tle of Lexington reached them. Astonishment and 
indignation filled the company, and they soon dis- 
persed. A few remained and discussed the great 
question of American freedom: and there, Avithin 
the festive hall, did Eobert Morris and a few others, 
by a solemn vow, dedicate their lives, their fortunes, 
and their honor, to the sacred cause of the Eevolution. 
That event called him forth, and in Kovember of the 
same year, he was elected by the Legislature of Penn- 
sylvania, a delegate to the General Congress. His 
business talents were at once appreciated in that body, 
and he was placed upon the " secret committee,"-^ and 
also a committee to devise ways and means for pro- 
viding a naval armament. In the spring of 1776, 
Congress chose him a special commissioner to nego- 

" The duties of tlie secret committee consisted in managing 
the financial affairs of the government. It was a position of 
great trust, for they frequently had funds placed in their hands 
to be disposed of according to their discretion, like the "secret 
service money" of the present day, placed in the hands of the 
President, with discretionary powers, it being inimical to the 
general good to take public action upon such disbursements. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 215 

tiate bills of exchange; and to take other measures to 
procure money for the government. 

Mr, Morris was again elected to Congress on the 
18th of July, 1776, fourteen days after the Declaration 
of Independence was adopted; and being in favor of 
the measure, he affixed his signature thereto on the 
2d of August following. Ilis labors in Congress were 
incessant, and he always looked with perfect confi- 
dence to the period when peace and independence 
should crown the efforts of the patriots. Even when 
the American army, under AYashington, had dwindled 
down to a handful of half-naked, half-famished militia, 
during the disastrous retreat across New Jersey, at 
the close of 1776, he evinced his confidence that final 
success would ensue, by loaning at that time, upon 
his individual responsibility, $10,000. This mate- 
rially assisted in collecting together and paying that 
gallant band with which Washington recrossed the 
Delaware, and won the glorious victory at Trenton. 
When Congress fled to Baltimore, on the approach of 
the British across New Jersey, Mr. Morris, after re- 
moving his family into the country, returned to, and 
remained in Philadelphia. Almost in despair, Wash- 
ington wrote to him, and informed him that to make 
any successful movement whatever, a considerable 
sum of money must be had. It was a requirement 
that seemed almost impossible to meet. Mr. Morris 
left his counting-room for his lodging in utter despon- 
dency. On his way he met a wealthy Quaker, and 
made known his wants. " What security canst thou 
give?" asked he. "My note, and my honor," promptly 
replied Mr. Morris. The Quaker replied : " Eobert, 
thou shalt have it." It was sent to Washington, the 



2](j -nSTDEPENDENCE HALL: 

Delaware was crossed, and victory won ! Many in- 
stances of a similar nature are related, Avliere the high 
character of Mr. Morris enabled him to procure money 
when the government could not, and his patriotism 
never faltered in inducing him to apply it to the pub- 
lic benefit. 

In 1781, the darkest period of the war, Mr. Morris, 
in connection with other citizens, organized a banking 
institution in Philadelphia, for the purpose of issuing 
paper-money that should receive the public confidence, 
for the government bills were becoming almost worth- 
less. This scheme had the desired effect, and the aid 
it rendered to the cause was incalculable. During 
that year, upon the urgent solicitation of Congress, 
Mr. Morris accepted the appointment of general finan- 
cial agent of the United States, in other words. Secre- 
tary of the Treasury. It was a service which no other 
man in the country seemed competent to perform, and 
that Congress well knew. His business talent, and 
his extensive credit at home and abroad, were brought 
to bear in this vocation ; and upon him alone, for a 
long time, rested the labor of supplying a famished 
and naked army and furnishing other necessary sup- 
plies for the public service. Congress, at that time, 
could not have obtained a loan of one thousand dol- 
lars, yet Eobert Morris effected loans upon his own 
credit of tens of thousands. The Bank of North 
America was put in successful operation, and there 
is no doubt that these patriotic services of Eobert 
Morris present the chief reason why the Continental 
army was not at that time disbanded by its own act. 
And it has been justly remarked, that : " If it were 
not demonstrable by official records, posterity would 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS, 217 

hardly be made to believe that the campaign of 1781, 
wliicli resulted in the capture of CornwalliS; and vir- 
tually closed the Kevolutionary War, was sustained 
wholly on the credit of an individual merchant." At 
the time Washington was preparing, in his camp upon 
the Hudson, in Westchester County, to attack Sir 
Henry Clinton, in New York, in 1781, Mr. Morris and 
Judge Peters of Pennsylvania, were then at head- 
quarters. Washington received a letter from Count 
He Grasse, announcing his determination not to sail 
for New York. He was bitterly disappointed, but 
almost before the cloud had passed from his brow, he 
conceived the expedition against Cornwallis, at York- 
town. " What can you do for me?" said Washington 
to Mr. Peters. "With money, everything, without 
it, nothing," he replied, at the same time turning with 
anxious look toward Mr. Morris. '' Let me know the 
sum you desire," said Mr. Morris ; and before noon 
Washington's plan and estimates were complete. Mr. 
Morris promised him the amount, and raised it upon 
his own responsibility. 

After the conclusion of peace, Mr. Morris served 
twice in the Legislature of Pennsylvania ; and he was 
a delegate to the Convention that framed the Consti- 
tution of the United States. He was elected a Senator 
under that instrument, and took his seat at the first 
meeting of Congress in New York to organize the 
government in accordance with its provisions. In 
the selection of his cabinet, President Washington 
was very anxious to have Mr. Morris Secretary of the 
Treasury, but he declined. Washington asked him 
to name a candidate, and he at once mentioned Gen- 
eral Alexander Hamilton. Mr. Morris served a 
19 



218 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

resrular term in tlie United States Senate, and then 
retired forever from public life. By his liberal ex- 
penditures and free proffers of his private obligations 
for the public benefit, he found his ample fortune 
very much diminished at the close of hostilities ; and 
by embarking the remainder in the purchase of wild 
lands, in the State of New York,* under the impres- 
sion that emigrants from the Old World would flow 
in a vast and ceaseless current to this '' land of the 
free," he became greatly embarrassed in his pecuniary 
affairs, and it preyed seriously upon his mind. This 
misfortune, and the inroads which asthma had made 
upon his constitution, proved a canker at the root of 
his bodily vigor, and he sunk to rest in the grave, on 
the eighth day of May, 1806, in the seventy-third 

* In consequence of some old claims of Massacliusetts to a 
large portion of the territory of the State of New York, the lat- 
ter State, in 1786, in order to settle the matter, ceded to the 
former more than six millions of acres, reserving, however, the 
right of sovereignty. Massacliusetts sold the larger portion of 
this tract to Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gorham, for one mil- 
lion of dollars; and in 1790, they in turn sold to Mr. Morris 
1,204,000 acres, for sixteen cents per acre. He afterward resold 
this tract to Sir William Pultney. The original purchasers from 
Massachusetts, unable to fulfill their contract, surrendered to 
the State a large tract, to which the Indian titles had been ex- 
tinguished. This tract Mr. Morris bought in 1796, and after 
selling considerable portions lying upon the Genesee River, he 
mortgaged the residue to Wilhelm Willink, of Amsterdam, and 
eleven associates, who styled themselves the ^''Holland Land 
Company.'''' Mr. Morris was unable to meet his engagements, and 
the company foreclosed, and acquired full title to the land. 
They opened a sales office in Batavia, Genesee County, which 
now exists, and they still own large tracts of land in Western 
N(Mv York. 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 219 

year of his age, leaving a widow with whom he had 
lived in uninterrupted domestic happiness for thirty- 
seven years.'" 

* In 1769 Mr. Morris married Miss Mary White, sister of the 
late venerable Bishop White, of Pennsylvania. 



220 INDEPENDKNCE HALL: 



CHAPTER XXV. 

ELBRIDGE GERRY. 

A patriot's valor beamed forth in his eyes, 
And stern decision marked his every act. 

In gazing upon the many interesting relics in In- 
dependence Hall, the thoughtfal lover of his country's 
history is pained to see that, while numerous elegant 
pictures and portraits of distinguished men grace the 
ample walls, there are many absent which should be 
there — very many who took active parts in the great 
struggle for Freedom and Independence — whose like- 
nesses in some impressive form should have been 
placed there for the admiration of all who visit this 
consecrated spot. Among the absent is that of El- 
bridge Gerry — a man whose sternness and devotion 
to the cause of Freedom contributed in no small de- 
gree toward shaping the destinies of the rising Colo- 
nies, and inspiring the people with increased love for 
Independence. The birth-place of Mr. Gerry was the 
town of Marblehead, Massachusetts, on the 17th of 
July, 1744. His parents were in easy circumstances, 
his father being largely and successfully engaged in 
the mercantile business, and, therefore, was well pre- 
pared to give his son a thorough and useful education. 
Accordingly, when Elbridge had gone through his 
preliminary studies, he was placed in Harvard Col- 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 221 

lege. In that institution his time was spent in close 
and vigorous studies, and so well did he apply him- 
self, that in 1762 he graduated with the honorable 
title of ^Bachelor of Arts." This fitted him for en- 
tering the world in such pursuits of business as he 
might deem best calculated to advance his pecuniary 
interests. But he was not long- in choosing^ what 
course to pursue. As his father was an extensive 
merchant, his mind naturally inclined to mercantile 
matters, and soon after he left college he entered into 
commercial pursuits, amassed a handsome competency, 
and was soon, by his own exertions, placed beyond 
want, while his intelligence and good character won 
for himself the esteem of all who knew or had busi- 
ness dealings Avith him. Nearly all his fellow-citizens 
looked to him as an example for emulation, and few 
measures of public importance were adopted Avithout 
first having his sanction. 

When Great Britain commenced oppressing the 
people of this country, the solicitude of Mr. Gerry 
was warmly enlisted on the side of the Colonists, and 
he expressed himself very decidedly and strongly 
against the usurpations of the mother country. For 
these tokens of patriotism the citizens of Marblehead 
honored him with an election to a membership in the 
General Court of the Province, in 1773. Being of an. 
ardent and versatile temperament, ingenious in de- 
vising plans of operation, and exceedingly cautious in 
their execution, he became a bold and energetic leader. 
From that time he was one of the most active and 
effective politicians in Massachusetts. In conjunction 
with John Adams and others, he was successful in 
carrying through certain resolutions which had been 
19* 



222 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

presented in the General Court, having reference to 
the removal of Governor Hutchinson from office. 
It appears that the Governor had become very ob- 
noxious to the people because of the discovery of 
some let1»ers of his to the English Minister, recom- 
mending the enforcement of rigid measures against 
the Americans, and the curtailment of the privileges 
of the Colonies. These letters were put into the 
hands of Dr. Franklin, the Colonial Agent in Eng- 
land, and by him they were immediately transmitted 
to the General Court of Massachusetts. They pro- 
duced great excitement, and a petition Avas adopted 
and forwarded to the Minister, asking for the re- 
moval of Hutchinson."'^ 

Until the Avar commenced, Mr. Gerry Avas a leading 
spirit in all political movements. He was a member 
of the first Provincial Congress of that Province, and 
opposed the arbitrary measures of Governor Gage in 
a most vigorous and persistent manner. The night 
preceding the battle of Bunker's Hill — or more prop- 
perly, Breed's Hill — he slept in the same bed with 
General Warren, and in the morning they bade each 
other an affectionate farcAvell, Mr. Gerry to go to the 

* It was on the occasion of Dr. Franklin's presenting this 
petition to the English Privy Council, that he was so violently 
assailed by Wedderburn, the Solicitor-General. Franklin made 
no reply, but in going to his lodgings, he took off his suit of 
clothes, and declared that he would never put it on again until 
he had signed "America's Independence and England's degra- 
dation." Ten years subsequently, after he had attached his 
signature to the treaty of peace between the two governments, 
he again put on that suit of clothes, and expressed himself 
satisfied that his wish had been accomplished. The old Nestor 
of Patriots gloried in the elevation of America, and the downfall 
•of Phigland's pride. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 223 

Congress, then sitting at Watertown, and General 
Warren to fall in his country's defense upon the field 
of battle. 

Mr. Gerry was elected to the Continental Congress, 
in January, 1776. In this new convocation, the most 
important convention that had ever met in the New 
World, his commercial attainments were highly use- 
ful, and he was put upon many committees Avhere 
such knowledge Avas necessary. Previously he had 
been elected a Judge of the Court of Admiralty, but 
he declined the appointment because of his desire for 
a more active life. When Mr, Lee presented his reso- 
lution declaring the United States free and indepen- 
dent, Mr. Gerry supported it with many strong and 
urgent reasons. He signed the Declaration on the 
2d day of August after it had been adopted. In 1777 
he was appointed one of a committee to visit Wash- 
ington at Yalley Forge. He was instrumental in 
drawing up a report concerning the condition of the 
Commander-in-Chief, that had a great effect upon the 
deliberations of Congress, and caused more efficient 
aid to be given to the support of the army. He re- 
tired from the position of Congressman in 1780, lor 
the purpose of looking after his own private affairs ; 
but his usefulness in that body was indispensable, and 
he was again elected in three years afterward. Mr. 
Gerry was indefatigably and earnestly engaged in all 
the financial operations of that body, until he finally 
retired to private life from its bustling scenes, which 
he did in 1785, and located his residence at Cam- 
bridge. 

At the time of the adoption of the present Constitu- 
tion of the United States, Mr. Gerry was a member 



224 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

of the Convention of liis native State. Many of its 
leading features tie opposed, and because of these ob- 
jections he refused to sign his name to it — neverthe- 
less, after it became the fundamental basis of the 
Government, he did all within his power and influ- 
ence to carry out its provisions. Under it he was 
twice elected to the House of Representatives of the 
United States, and having served out his time in an 
acceptable manner to his constituents, he again re- 
paired to his private home to enjoy the blessings of 
quietude and rest. But his public services and busi- 
ness qualifications would not permit him to remain 
in private life long. Mr. Adams, while President, 
was aware of liis abilities, and appreciated him for his 
worth. He therefore called him from his domestic 
retirement, and designated him as one of three envoys 
to France, in the year 1798. For some reason or 
other, this joint commission was not received by the 
French Government, but Mr. Gerry was honored by 
an acceptation ; and this created considerable ilbfeel 
ing against him, by very many citizens of the United 
States. Mr. Gerry felt it his duty to i-emain, and did 
so. This joint commission was composed of Elbridge 
Gerry, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, and John Mar- 
shall, the late Chief Justice. At that time the rela- 
tions between the two governments presented an un- 
friendly antagonism, and Messrs. Pinckney and Mar- 
shall were ordered to leave the countrj^, but- Mr. Gerry 
was urged to remain. The Federalists of the United 
States being strongly opposed to the French, con- 
demned Mr. Gerry for remaining, while the Repub- 
licans, sympathizing with the French Revolutionists, 
applauded him. After his return from France, the 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 225 

Eepiiblicans of Massachusetts nominated him for Grov- 
ernor. He was defeated, but the next year, 1810, he 
was successful. At that time party spirit ran very 
high between the Federalists and Eepublicans, the 
two great political parties of the Union. The more 
progressive policy of the Republicans was so conso- 
nant with the spirit of tlie people, that it increased 
rapidly from its birth, and finally became so powerful, 
that Federalism as a Avatchword of party, and in truth 
the Federal party, became extinct in 1819. In 1811 
Mr. Gerry was nominated for, and elected, Yice-Presi- 
dent of the United States. In this capacity he served 
his country until November, 1814, when he was seized 
with a sudden illness, and died on the 23d of that 
month. Congress did him the honor to erect a tomb 
over the spot where his body was buried in the Con- 
gressional Cemetery. 



226 INDEPENDENCE HALL 



CHAPTER XXYI. 



BENJAMIN RUSH. 



"To tlie pliysician of tlie soul, and these, 
Turn tlie distressed for safety and for peace." — Crahhe. 

Benjamin Eush, a celebrated Doctor of Medicine 
at his time, was a native of Philadelphia County, 
having been born in the little town of Byberry, 
December 24:th, 1745. He was grandson to an officer 
of some prominence bearing that name in Cromwell's 
army, who came to this country soon after the death 
of the Protector, where he acquired a nice little prop- 
erty and a good reputation. Unfortunately, however, 
for the subject of this sketch, his father was attacked 
with a severe indisposition, which baffled the skill of 
the most erudite medical professors, and died when 
Benjamin was only about six years of age. This 
afflictive dispensation placed him and a brother imder 
the maternal guardianship of a fond and doting mother, 
who exhibited great anxiety to give Benjamin a 
classical education ; but lier income and means would 
not permit her to do so at the time. Subsequently, 
she sold her little homestead, removed into Phila- 
delphia, and with the money then in her possession, 
she commenced a sort of commercial business which 
proved very successful. By this turn of fortune she 
was enabled to consummate her wishes in giving a 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 227 

liberal education to her eldest son. When lie was 
only nine years of age, he was placed under the 
tutilage of Dr. Findlay, who Avas principal of an 
Academy at Nottingham, Marjdand. Here he ap- 
plied himself with great earnestness to his studies, and 
having completed the pi^eliminary courses, in 1759 he 
entered Princeton College, where, at the age of six- 
teen, he took his degree. 

At an early day young Ensh evinced a strong pref- 
erence for the study and profession of the law, but by 
the persuasions of his mother, and many warm friends, 
he consented to the practice of medicine. In due 
time he placed himself under the tuition of Dr. Ked- 
man, of Philadelphia ; and after remaining with him 
for a 3'ear or two, in 1766 he went to England for the 
purpose of professional improvement. He remained 
there two years, receiving vast benefits from attending 
lectures at the best hospitals and medical institutions 
in London. From London he went to Paris in the 
summer of 1768, where he obtained additional in- 
formation and insight into the science of medicine. 
His stay in Paris, however, was short, for in the 
autumn of the same year he returned to America, 
with an honorable diploma conferred on him at Edin- 
burg, and the title of ^^ Doctor of Medicine." 

Soon after his return to Philadelphia he commenced 
the practice of his profession. His success was the 
general topic of conversation ; and so rapidly did his 
reputation increase, that before he had completed one 
year, the most distinguished physicians of the city 
invited him to consultations with them. There was a 
calm suavity about him, a polished and dignified 
manner, which, together with his superior intellect, 



228 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

kind deportment to the sick, and unwearied attention 
to the calls of the poor, created for him a popularity 
that few practitioners enjoyed. A man possessiug 
these characteristics, of course, could not fail to make 
for himself an extensive and lucrative practice. Dr. 
Eush, besides attending to the calls of the sick, and 
other duties incident to his profession, took great de- 
light in imparting to others necessary information re- 
specting the medical profession ; and for this purpose, 
instituted lectures, which were attended by students 
from all parts of the country, after the Revolutionary 
war had closed. They came even from the Old 
World; and in 1812, the year preceding his death, 
he had four hundred and thirty pupils who attended 
his lectures. For nine years previous to his demise, 
the number of his iwivaie pupils exceeded fifty annu- 
ally. It is computed that he instructed during his 
life-time more than two thousand pupils. This fact, 
alone, is sufficient to impress the public mind with an 
idea of his superiority in the medical profession. No 
one stood higher than he in Philadelphia among men 
of his class — no one was more successful — no one was 
more highly esteemed; and none could command 
greater respect. In his profession he was a pattern 
for emulation. 

On his return to his native country, he found con- 
siderable feeling existing antagonistic to the oppressive 
measures pursued by Great Britain toward the Colo- 
nies, and it did not take him long to decide which 
side of the discussion to espouse. Consequently, his 
pen, as well as his personal exertions, contributed no 
small share in arousing the people to action, and of 
intensifying the feelings of the patriots for Freedom 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 229 

and Independence. Although urgently solicited to 
take a seat in the Congress of 1775, he declined the 
honor. But the next year, when some of the Penn- 
sylvania delegates proved traitors to their constitu- 
ents, and refused to vote for Independence, he was 
elected to fill one of the seats made vacant by their 
withdrawal, and he accepted it. When the Declara- 
tion of Independence was adopted. Dr. Rush was not 
a member, but he was present, and signed it on the 
second day of August following. He was appointed 
to the office of Physician-General of the Military Hos- 
pitals of the Middle Department, by Congress, in 
which his services were found of great utility. After 
that appointment he did not serve again in Congress. 
He took very little interest in political measures, and 
with the exception of being a member of the Con- 
vention that adopted the Federal Constitution, he did 
not actively participate in any public duties. In 
1778 he was appointed President of the Mint, which 
position he held fourteen years. Although, as a 
statesman, the services of Dr. Rush were eminently 
useful, still his virtues excelled in the medical pro- 
fession ; and as a practitioner and medical writer, he 
is more popularly known. In 1779 he Avas appointed 
Professor of Chemistry in the Medical College of 
Philadelphia — in 1789 he was made Professor of the 
Theory and Practice of Medicine ; and at that time he 
also held the Professorship of the Institutes of Medi- 
cine and of Chemical Science, in the Medical College 
of Pennsylvania. In 1796 he was apj^ointed to fill 
the vacancy caused by the resignation of Dr. Kuhn, 
in the Professorship of the Practice of Medicine. 
20 



^& INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

These three Professorships he held during his life, 
and discharged their duties with honor. 

The citizens of Philadelphia well remember that, 
in 1793^ that dreadful scourge of the human race — 
the yellow fever — swept like the wings of the angel 
of death, over that fair city, carrying hundreds and 
thousands of its inhabitants to the grave. So direful 
was its progress, and so alarming its eftects, that a 
imiversal panic ensued. Physicians of long standing 
and high reputations deserted their patients, and left 
them to grapple with the fell destroyer as best they 
might. But then it was that the humanity and phi- 
lanthropy of Dr. Rush Avere made manifest. He re- 
solved to remain, and prevailed upon a few of his 
pupils to follow his example. They did so. He him- 
self was attacked by the disease, and some of his 
pupils died ; but while he could get from his bed, he 
was vigilant in c^ttending to the sick and dying.* 
This self-sacriflcing devotion to the interests and wel- 
fare of the community, placed the citizens of Phila- 
delphia under lasting gratitude to him. 

There are mc^ny instances and institutions which 
bear the impress of Dr. Rush's superior mind and un- 
tiring energies. In 1786 he formed the Philadelphia 
Dispensary, and he was one of the principal founders 
of Dickinson College, at Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He 

* He appealed to liis pupils to remain tlius : ''As for myself, 
I am determined to remain. I may fall a victim to the epi- 
demic, and so may you, gentlemen. But I prefer, since I am 
placed liere by Divine Providence, to fall in performing my 
duty, if sucli must be the consequence of my staying upon the 
ground, than to secure my life by fleeing from the post of duty 
allotted in the Providence of God. I will remain, if I remain 
alone." 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 231 

was firm and inflexible in liis patriotic attachment — 
in his profession, skillful, candid, and honorable. He 
was a profound thinker — a vigorous writer — a zealous 
and consistent Christian — and was beloved by all. 
It is said of him that, '' in all his close and arduous 
pursuit of human knowledge, he never neglected to 
search the Scriptures for that knowledge which points 
the soul aright in its journey to the Spirit Land." 
But in the prosecution of his various duties, the sands 
of his own existence dropped one by one into the vast 
urn of eternity, and it began to be manifest that he 
too must soon pay the debt of nature. Anxious 
friends gathered around him — the public mind was 
greatly affected — and his house was regularly be- 
sieged by a host of admiring citizens inquiring con- 
cerning his health. Yet all their efforts and deep 
anxiety could avail nothing. His disease rendered 
him weaker and weaker, until the 19th of April, 1813; 
when the lamp of his existence went out in the dark- 
ness of death, leaving every citizen to feel that with 
him a strong man in Israel had fallen, and the loss 
would be irreparable. 



232 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 



CHAPTER XXYII. 

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 

" Such was tlie rigid Zeno's plan 
To form his philosophic man — 
Such were the modes he taught mankind 
To weed the garden of the mind." — Moore. 

The subject of tliis sketch needs no eulogy, no 
sketching from my pen. His fame, like that of the 
immortal Washington, will never cease to be honored 
in the land he assisted to free from the chains of bond- 
age. A brief outline of his biography, however, is in 
order. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on the 
seventeenth day of January, 1706. His father was a 
true and uncompromising Puritan, who came to this 
country in 1682, and soon after married a Miss Folger, 
a native of the city of Boston. The life-occupation 
of Mr. Franklin was that of a soap-boiler and tallow- 
chandler, a business he devoted himself to in conse- 
quence of not having any mechanical trade, and not 
understanding the duties of a farmer. This occupa- 
tion gave him a comfortable livelihood, although it 
did not permit the education of Benjamin in the call- 
ing they desired — that of the ministry — and conse- 
quently tho,t project was abandoned. He was kept in 
a common-school a year or two, and then entered into 
the service of his father. This occupation did not 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 233 

please Benjamin, and his parents seeing the aversion 
he exhibited, secured for him a place with a cutler, 
and he was taken on probation. At that time there 
was a bonus on apprentices, which they had to pay 
for admission, and the fee being too high he could not 
pay it from the limited means of his parents, and he 
was therefore obliged to abandon that also. He then 
was put under instructions to an elder brother, who 
was a printer. In his office were laid the first prin- 
ciples of that course of character which subsequently 
rendered Benjamin such a philosopher and model of 
patriotism. He remained with his brother until he 
became exceedingly proficient. Every moment of his 
leisure time was devoted to study. He never engaged 
in light and frivolous amusements. So rapidly did 
his young faculties develop, that a spirit of jealousy 
began to manifest itself in the conduct of his brother 
toward him, which young Franklin perceiving, left 
his service, and went to New York. He could not 
find employment in that city, and he proceeded on 
foot to Philadelphia. On his arrival at Burlington, 
in New Jersey, late on Saturday evening^e^-took 
passage in a row-boat for Philadelphia, and during the 
night a dense fog arose on the river. The men could 
not see their way, and abowtT^daylight their boat ran 
ashore at the mouth of Cooper's Creek, near the city 
of Camden. Here Franklin left the boat and walked 
down to Cooper's Ferry, where he crossed over to the 
city. This was on Sunday mo^'iiing, and weary and 
hungry, he rested himself awhile in the market-house, 
then purchased two loaves of bread, and placing one 
under his arm, while eating the other, he strolled up 
Market street. It was at/fliis time that he passed the 
20* 



234 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

house of ^[r. Keed, whose daughter was so struck 
with his singular appearance, that she sneered and 
ridiculed him in his hearing, but who afterward be- 
came his wife. Franklin kept on until he came to a 
Quaker meeting, which he entered, eating his bread. 
There he sat down, went to sleep, and did not awake 
until services closed, and then he sought other accom- 
modations. He was then only seventeen, friendless 
and alone, and had but a single dollar in his pocket. 
There were but two printing establishments in Phila- 
delphia at that time, but he soon obtained a situation 
in one of them. His industrious and studious habits 
won the esteem of his employers, and he became a 
favorite Avith all the workmen. 

Governor Keith of Delaware became deeply inter- 
ested in young Franklin, and offered to extend to him 
his patronage, and assist in setting him up in business 
for himself, if he so desired. Arrangements were en- 
tered into, and it was found necessary for Franklin to 
go to England for material. On arriving in London he 
found that William Keith's patronage was not of that 
character he supposed it to be, and he was obliged to 
seek journeyman's work in order to relieve his em- 
barrassment. He went into one of the printing-offices 
and asked for a situation, and on intimating that he 
had come from America, his application was greeted 
with the sneering remark referred to in the anecdote 
concerning him. He went to a case, picked up a stick, 
and set up — " Can any thing good come out of Naza- 
reth? Come and see." This circumstance pi'epos- 
sessed the proprietor in his favor, and he gave him 
employment. He preserved a strict course of integrity, 
and soon earned enough to make him coinfortable. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 235 

By this conduct he surroniidecl himself with numerous 
friends, and while he labored hard at the press,'" he 
did not fail to store his mind with important knowl- 
edge. Unfortunately, however, for Franklin, he was 
thrown in the way of some stern infidels, among the 
number was Lord Mandeville. They paid marked 
and flattering respect to him, and his mind became 
considerably tinctured with their doctrines. He was 
persuaded by. them to write a pamphlet on deistical 
metaphysics, a performance which he subsequently 
deeply regretted and condemned. 

Having now some money on hand, Franklin re- 
solved to return to the Continent, and accepted the 
clerkship of a mercantile friend who was then ready 
to sail for America, He embarked for home in July, 
1726, and in due time arrived in Philadelphia. There 
he was again among his friends, and with his new em- 
ployer he had a good prospect of accumulating wealth, 
but his friend died not long after his arrival, and 
Franklin went again to the printing business Avith his 
old employer. A little while afterward he formed a 
partnership, and went into the business himself. His 
punctuality, uprightness, and industrious habits, soon 
brought around him warm friends, public confidence, 
and a good business. In 1780 he married the lady 
referred to elsewhere in this biography. He had 
asked her hand before going to England, but she mar- 
ried another. While he was absent, however, her 
husband died, and on his return their intimacy was 
renewed, and they were married Franklin began his 

* The verj press tliat Franklin used to work in London, is 
now in the National Museum at Washington, and creates no 
little curiosity among printers and others who visit that citj. 



236 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

useful annual, known as " Poor Eichard's Almanac," 
in 1732, which was continued until 1757. Cotempo- 
raneously he published a paper, which was one of the 
most influential of any in the Colonies. He also pro- 
jected a literary club called the "Junto;" many of tlie 
books they collected formed the nucleus of the present 
Philadelphia Library. He was appointed Government 
printer in 1734, and in 1736 he was made Clerk of the 
General Assembly. He was appointed Postmaster of 
Philadelphia in 1737. These positions gave him 
ample means, and relieved him from the embarrass- 
ments and drudgery to which he had all his life been 
subjected, and left him an opportunity to pursue phil- 
osophical studies. He instituted lire companies in 
Philadelphia, the first on the Continent, and devised 
means for paving the streets and lighting the city 
with gas. He took an interest in the military — pro- 
jected the "American Philosophical Society," the 
"Pennsylvania Hospital," and the "Pennsylvania Uni- 
versity." He established the " General Magazine and 
Historical Chronicle, for the British Plantations," in 
1741*,. In 1744 he was elected a member of the Gen- 
eral Assembly, to which position he was re-elected for 
ten years consecutively. During this time his mind 
was busy in ex^Dloring scientific subjects, and he niade 
many of those inventions which afterward rendered 
hisyTiame so famous among the literati and scientific. 
B[e was appointed a commissioner, in 1753, to treat 
'^with the Indians at Carlisle, Pennsylvania. In 1754 
fie was a delegate to a Convention of Eepresentatives, 
:hat met at Albany, to consult upon the general de- 
'fense and security against the French. He there pro- 
posed a confederation of the several Colonies, but his 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATION-S. 237 

plan was rejected both by the Home Government and 
by the Colonies. His proposition contained all the 
essential features of the present Constitution of the 
United States. About this time he became Post- 
master-General. He rendered General Braddock es- 
sential service in securing recruits and material for 
his expedition against Fort Du Quesne. 

The General Assembly of the Province, in 1757, 
sent Franklin to London to adjust a dispute with the 
Governor. He was successful. He remained in En- 
gland five years as a resident agent for the Colony. He 
was publicly thanked, on his return home, by the 
General Assembly, which presented him the sum of 
$20,000 as compensation. In 176i he was again sent 
to England on a similar service. While he was there 
the '' Stamp Act" Avas passed, and he pertinaciously 
protested against it. His opinions had great weight 
there, and the eyes of many great statesmen were 
fixed upon him. He saw the storm of the Revolution 
darkly gathering, and he used every measure within 
his power to avert the threatening tempest. But his 
efforts at conciliation proved unavailing, and satisfied 
that war was inevitable, in 1775 he returned home to 
prepare for the general conflict. He was immediately 
elected a delegate to Congress, and the next year, 
1776, he was re-elected. He was placed upon the 
committee appointed to draft a "Declaration of Inde- 
pendence" — he voted for its adoption, and signed it 
on the second of August of the same year. A propo- 
sition of reconciliation had been made, and Franklin 
was chosen one of the three commissioners to m.eet 
Lord Howe in conference on Staten Island. This 
attempt proved unavailing, and hostilities commenced. 



238 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

Franklin was tlie President of the Convention that 
framed a State Constitution for Pennsylvania. During 
the same year he was deputized by Congress, and sent 
as a Commissioner to the Court of France, for the 
purpose of forming a treaty of alliance. Franklin was 
then more than seventy years of age, yet he accepted 
the commission, and sailed in October of 1776. He 
was received with great deference, and finally suc- 
ceeded in accomplishing his mission. A treaty was 
concluded and signed by Franklin and the French 
Minister, in February, 1778;" So great was the con- 
fidence Congress placed in him, that it gave him 
almost unlimited discretionary powers. He discharged 
his duties with such fidelity and skill, that he excited 
the admiration of Europe. At length Grreat Britain 
was conquered, and consented to form a treaty, making 
the independence of the country its basis ; and on the 
third day of September, 1783, Doctor Franklin had 
the glorious satisfaction of signing a definitive treaty 
to that effect. Then did the bosom of this old Nestor 
of patriots swell with national pride, and emotions 
of irrepressible patriotism took possession of his soul. 
Then it was that, true to a former pledge, he put on 
the suit of clothes which, ten years before, on the occa- 
sion of his being insulted before the English Privy 
Council, he declared he would never wear again until 
he had " signed England's degradation and America's 
independence." 

Having accomplished so much, Franklin requested 
Congress to permit him to return home, but he re- 

* America was declared independent, and tlie Frencli Govern- 
ment openly espoused tlie cause of the Colonists. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 239 

mained until Thomas Jefferson, his successor, arrived 
in 1785. He was received with great demonstrations 
of joy by the entire country ; and even at the age of 
eighty years, he was appointed President of Pennsyl- 
vania, and held the position three years. The last 
public act, however, which he performed, was to act 
as a member of the Convention that framed our 
present National Constitution. Death put an end to 
his existence on the seventeenth of April, 1790, at the 
advanced age of eighty -four years.^ Not only the 

* Franklin had two children, a son and daughter. His 
daughter married Mr. Bache of Philadelphia. His son William 
•was a firm opponent of his father, and was from the first to the 
last a devoted loyalist. Before the Revolutionary war he held 
several civil and military ofiices of importance. At the com- 
mencement of the war he held the ofiice of Governor of New 
Jersey, which appointment he received in 1775. When the 
difiiculty hetween the mother country and the Colonies was 
coming to a crisis, he threw his whole influence in favor of 
loyalty, and endeavored to prevent the Legislative Assembly of 
New Jersey from sustaining the proceedings of the General 
Congress at Philadelphia. These efforts, however, did but little 
to stay the tide of popular sentiment in favor of resistance to 
tyranny, and soon involved him in difficulty. He was deposed 
from office by the Whigs, to give place to Wm. Livingston, and 
sent a prisoner to Connecticut, where he remained two years in 
East Windsor, in the house of Capt. Ebenezer Grant, where the 
Theological Seminary now stands. In 1778 he was exchanged, 
and soon after went to England. There he spent the remainder 
of his life, receiving a pension from the British Government for 
his fidelity. He died in 1813, at the age of eighty-two. As 
might have been expected, his opposition to the cause of liberty, 
so dear to the heart of his father, produced an estrangement be- 
tween them. For years they had no intercourse — when, in 
1784, the son wrote the father ; in his reply. Dr. Franklin says : 
" Nothing has ever hurt me so much, and affected me with such 
deep sensations, as to find myself deserted in my old age by 



240 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

people of this country, but of England and France 
also, mourned the loss of such a great man. In all 
his traits of character, Franklin was a patriot, a 
scholar, and worthy of emulation. It w^as said of him 
that " his genius drew the lightning from heaven" — it 
could just as appropriately be said of his intellectual fac- 
ulties : Tri (pvofoi ypaa/.tarfrj rjv, tov xa'kauov a7to(?pf|oi' ft? vovv.'^ 

His mind is stamped upon all his works, and leaves a 
burning impression upon his readers ; and no more 
strikingly is this fact illusti^ated than in the following 
anecdote of him in reference to lending money. In 
reply to an application for the loan of ten louis-d'ors, 
he said : " I send you, herewith, a bill of ten louis- 
d'ors. I do not pretend to give much, I onl}^ lend it 
to you. When you return to your country you can- 
not fail of getting into some business that will, in time, 
enable you to pay all your debts. In this case, when 
you meet another honest man, in similar distress, you 
will pay me by lending this money to him, enjoining 
him to discharge the debt by a like operation, when 
he shall be able, and meet with such another oppor- 
tunity. I hope it may pass through many hands before 

my only son ; and not only deserted, but to find liim taking up 
arms against me in a cause wherein my good fame, fortune, and 
life were all at stake." In his will, also, he alludes to the part 
his son had acted. After making some bequests, he adds : " The 
part he acted against me in the late war, which is of public 
notoriety, will account for my leaving him no more of an estate 
he endeavored to deprive me of." The patriotism of the father 
stands forth all the brighter when contrasted with the desertion 
of his son. 

* Tes Phuseos grammateus en, ton calamon apohrexon eis nonn. — He 
was the writer, or interpreter of Nature, dipping his pen into 
the Mind. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 241 

it meets with a knave to stop its progress. This is a 
trick of miDe to do a great deal of good with a little 
money. I am not rich enough to spend much in good 
works, and am obliged to be cunning, and make the 
most of a little." 
21 



242 INDEPENDENCE HALL 



CHAPTER XXYIII. 

FKANCIS HOPKINSON. 

'' Stitnulas dedit cemula virtus.''^ 
He was spurred on by rival valor. 

The Declaration of Indepen deuce is rendered im- 
mortal by many strong and endearing associations, 
not only from the intensity of patriotism that brought 
it into existence, but from the signatures of the great 
men attached to it at a time when it was jeopardizing 
the lives of those who performed so bold an act of 
political duty. Among the names of those heroes is 
that of Francis Hopkinson. His parents were English 
residents of Philadelphia, his mother being a daughter 
of the Bishop of Worcester. Both she and her hus- 
band were highly educated and accomplished, and 
moved in the politest circles. Francis was born in 
Philadelphia in the year 1737, and, as a matter of 
consequence, was blessed with every advantage which 
social position could give him in his early life. At 
the age of fourteen, however, he met with a very sad 
bereavement in the loss of his father, by which the 
entire care of a large family of children was thrown 
upon his mother, whose income was quite small, and 
incapable of supplying her with means sufficient to 
give to her children those advantages of education 
which she, in her })atcrnal anxiety, desired. She man- 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 243 

aged, notwithstanding, with great prudence and pa- 
tience, to impart a primary education to Francis, and 
prepared him to enter the College of Philadelphia. 
While in that institution he exhibited a strong in- 
clination to become a lawyer, which profession he 
adopted, and commenced the study of, soon after- 
ward, and was admitted to practice in 1765. He be- 
came proficient in the general principles and applica- 
tion of law ; but in the same year he paid a visit to 
his friends in Eng]and, under the impression that, by 
coming in contact with the eminent professors of law 
there, his mind would become materially improved. 
On his return in 1768 he married Miss Ann Borden, 
of Bordentown, New Jersey.* His superior knowl- 
edge of law, his versatility, his literary and humorous 
turn of mind,t soon became the subjects of favorable 
comment, and the ministers of the Crown bestowed 
upon him a lucrative office in New Jersey. He held 
this appointment until the minions of British power 
became exasperated at the boldness with which he 
advocated the cause of the Colonies and republican 
sentiments, when he was superseded by the appoint- 

* Many descendants of tlie same family reside at that place 
still, and the name is highly esteemed in the State. Some of 
the family occupy prominent public positions. 

f Mr. Hopkins was gifted with vigorous poetical powers, 
which, although not classic and precise, were possessed of ad- 
mirable humor, and made him very popular. Most of his effu- 
sions delineated local scenes and events at the time of their 
occurrence. Among the most admired of these humorous epics 
was his "Battle of the Kegs." Various other poems of his 
were received with much enthusiasm, because they hit forcibly 
at well-known men and circumstances. 



244 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

ment of another incumbent. But his popularity was 
constantly increasing among the people, and they 
elected him to the General Congress from New Jersey 
in 1776. In that body, the most important convoca- 
tion that ever met, he supported with his voice, and 
by his vote, the Declaration of Independence, and 
boldly attached his signature to it. This he did under 
a full sense of the duty he owed to himself, his con- 
stituency, and his country. For a number of years 
he held the office of Loan Commissioner. He was 
Judge of Admiralty for Pennsylvania, having suc- 
ceeded George Ross, and held that office until 1790, 
when President Washington appointed him District 
Judge of the same State. He was a quiet, unobtru- 
sive, and modest man, and yet a genius of no ordinary 
character. He was an ardent patriot, and keenly 
alive to the stirring events of the times, but apparently 
shunned participation in debate. He was father of the 
late Judge Joseph Hopkinson, an eminent lawyer, 
politician, and writer. Francis Hopkinson died on 
the 9th of May, 1791, in the fifty-third year of his age, 
leaving a wife with five children, and a community 
of friends to mourn his loss. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 245 



CHAPTER XXIX. 



A vigorous arm of patriotic sense, 
He lifted up in Liberty's defense. 

The ancestors of Charles Carroll, of CarroUton,* 
were of Irish descent. At an early period in the set- 
tlement of Maryland, and during the governorship of 
Lord Baltimore, his grandfather, Daniel Carroll, emi- 
grated from Littemourna, in Ireland, to this country, 
and became possessor of a very large estate. In 1702 
he had a son born to him, whom he named Charles, 
and who was the father of the subject of this biography. 
Daniel Carroll died when his child was twenty-five 
years of age, leaving him sole inheritor of his fortune. 
The subject of this sketch, and the patriot of the Rev- 
olution, was born on the twentieth of September, 1737. 
His father, being Roman Catholic in his faith, entered 
him as a student in the Jesuit College of St. Omer, 
when he was only eight years of age, where he re- 
mained until he was fourteen. Thence he was removed 
to Rheims, and having spent one year there, he was 
received into the College of Louis le Grand, from 
which he graduated two years afterward, when he 

* He signed liimself "Charles Carroll, of Carrollton," wlien lie 
attached his name to the Declaration of Independence, in order 
to distinguish his signature from " Charles Carroll," that of his 
cousin. 

21* 



246 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

commenced at Bourges ' the study of law. From 
Bourges he went to Paris, where he resided until 
1757, when he visited London with the intention of 
pursuing his studies. He remained in that city eight 
years, and then returned to Maryland. With all these 
advantages he could not fail to become a ripe scholar 
and gentleman. 

After his return to Maryland he became deeply in- 
terested in the politics of the da}^, and the passage of 
the '' Stamp Act" gave a more active impetus to his 
vigorous mind in espousing the cause of the colonists. 
He saw and felt that the exigencies called for action 
on the part of stern patriots, and he at once associated 
himself with Paca, Stone, and Chase, in devising the 
best plans to advance the interests of the American 
patriots. This led to a sharp and bitter newspaper 
war with the governmental officers of the Province, 
who, finding themselves overcome by the might}^ 
talent against which they had to contend, sought 
respite behind the royal prerogatives of the Governor. 
In the controversy, Mr. Carroll won for himself an 
enviable reputation as a political essayist and writer. 
He took strong ground against the assumption of the 
British Government to tax the Colonies without their 
consent; and in 1772 he met in discussion the Sec- 
retary of the Colony, who was soon compelled to 
leave the field ingloriously defeated. The essays 
which he wrote were signed "The First Citizen," and 
for a long while the author's name was unknown. 
The people, however, were so much pleased with their 
bold and noble defense of their rights, that they in- 
structed the members of the Assembly to extend, 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 247 

through the public prints, a vote of thanks to the 
unknown author. The moment it was ascertained 
that Mr. Carroll was the writer, he was cordially 
thanked by large numbers of influential people, who 
visited him for that purpose, and he soon arose to uni- 
versal esteem and popularity. He was looked to as a 
directing spirit ; and so clear and logical were his 
judgments, that, in every important question, he was 
appealed to as umpire. As an instance of the confi- 
dence reposed in him, a little anecdote will illustrate : 
" When in 1773-4 the tea excitement was at its height, 
a Mr. Stewart, of Annapolis, imported a large quan- 
tity of tea into that town. The people became exas- 
perated, and threatened to destroy it if landed. The 
Provincial Legislature Avas in session at the time, and 
appointed a committee to superintend the unlading of 
the obnoxious article. This movement increased the 
indignation of the people, and Mr. Stewart appealed 
to Charles Carroll to interpose his influence. He in- 
formed him that the public mind con Id not be appeased 
under the circumstances, and advised him to burn both 
the tea and the vessel, which advice was followed, and 
thus an apparent violent exhibition of indignation Avas 
averted."' 

That a resort to arms in defense of colonial rights 
was unavoidable, Mr. Carroll distinctly foresaw, and 
expressed himself accordingly. The activity he ex- 
hibited in the cause of freedom, secured his appoint- 
ment as a member of the first Committee of Safety of 
Maryland; and in 1775 be was elected a member of 
the Provincial Assembly. Maryland was opposed to 
extreme measures, and the warm part Mr. Carroll took 
for independence was the reason he was not sooner 



248 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

sent to that body. While the Continental Congress 
was in session in 1776 he visited that body, in order 
to see and become acquainted with its members ; and 
while there he was placed upon an important com- 
mittee to visit Canada, in order to enlist the sympa- 
thies of that Colony with the other thirteen, and to act 
conjointly with them in striking for independence. 

In this the committee"'^ were unsuccessful ; and, on 
their return, Carroll found that Mr. Lee had intro- 
duced a resolution in Congress declaring for freedom, 
when he hastened to Maryland to obtain a removal of 
the restrictions placed upon her delegates. He suc- 
ceeded in getting the prohibition annulled, and was 
immediately elected a member of the Continental Con- 
gress. Mr. Carroll did not arrive in Philadelphia until 
the eighth of July, and therefore had no chance to 
vote on the final passage of the resolution ; but he 
unhesitatingly affixed his signature to the document 
declaring the " Colonies free and independent States." 
All through those troublous times Mr. Carroll occupied 
various public positions, and having passed through 
them all with honor to himself, at the age of sixty- 
four years he sought the repose of domestic retire- 
ment. For many years afterward he was regarded by 
the people of the country with the greatest veneration ; 
for, when Adams and Jefferson died, lie was the last 
vestige that remained on earth of that holy brother- 
hood who stood sponsors at the baptism in blood of 
our infant Eepublic. He lived honored and revered 
by the country with, whose existence he was identified 

* The other two committee men appointed on that mission 
were Dr. Benjamin Franklin and Samuel Chase. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 249 

until the year 1832, and was the last survivor of the 
fifty -six signers of the Declaration of Independence. 
He departed this life on the fourteenth of November, 
1832, aged ninety- six. During the whole of nis bright 
existence he had lew equais in all the social relations 
of life. 



250 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 



CHAPTER XXX. 

John Hart — Abraham Clark— John Morton — 
George Clymer. 

In freedom's cause these Patriots stood. 
And braved King George's scorn. 

John Hart was a farmer in New Jersey, and was 
one of tlie most uncompromising patriots of the Rev- 
olution. He was tlie son of Edward Hart, who was 
also an industrious farmer. His father was a loyal sub- 
ject to his king, and in 1759 he raised a company of 
volunteers which he named the "Jersey Blues," and 
marched with them to the aid of Wolfe at Quebec. He 
reached there in time to participate in the battle of the 
Plains of Abraham, where Wolfe was killed, but the 
English were victorious. After that battle he returned 
to his farm and was highly esteemed by his neighbors. 
It does not appear definitely what year his son was 
born in, but most likely it was 1714, for most of his 
contemporaries represent him as about sixty years of 
age when he was first elected to Congress. Mr. Hart 
pursued the avocation of his father, and was in quite 
independent circumstances when the Stamp Act and its 
train of evils attracted his attention, and aroused his 
sympathies for his oppressed countrymen in Boston, 
and elsewhere, where the heel of tyranny was planted. 
Althouprh livino' in the secluded ao:ricultural district 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 251 

of Hopewell, in Hunterdon County, yet he was fully 
conversant with the movements of public affairs at 
home and abroad, and he united with others in electing 
delegates to the Colonial Congress that convened in 
New York city, in 1765. From that time till the open- 
ing scenes of the war, Mr. Hart was active in promot- 
ing the cause of freedom ; and his fellow-citizens mani- 
fested th-eir appreciation of his services, by electing 
him a delegate to the first Continental Congress, in 1774. 
He was re-elected in 1775 ; but finding that his estate 
and family affairs needed his services, he resigned his 
seat, and for a time retired from public life. He was, 
however, elected a member of the Provincial Congress 
of New Jersey, and was Vice-President of that body. 
The talents of Mr. Hart were considered too valuable 
to the public, to remain in an inactive state, and in 
February, 1«776, he was again elected a delegate to the 
General Congress. He was too deeply impressed with 
the paramount importance of his country's claims, to 
permit him to refuse the office ; and he took his seat 
again in that body, and voted for and signed the Dec- 
laration of Independence. Nothing would have seem- 
ed more inimical to Mr. Hart's private interests than 
this act, which was the harbinger of open hostilities, 
for his estate was peculiarly exposed to the fury of the 
enemy. Nor was that fury withheld when New Jer- 
sey was invaded by the British and their mercenary 
allies, the Hessians.^ The signers of the Declaration 

* After the capture of Fort Washington, on York Island, in 
November, 1776, Lord Cornwallis crossed the Hudson at Dobb's 
Ferry, with six thousand men, and attacked Fort Lee, opposite. 
To save themselves, the Americans were obliged to make a hasty 
retreat, leaving behind them their munitions of war and all their 



252 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

everywhere were marked for vengeance, and when the 
enemy made their conquering descent upon New Jer- 
sey, Mr. Hart's estate was among the first to feel the 
effects of the desolating inroad."^ The blight fell, not 
only upon his fortune, but upon his person, and he did 
not live to see the sunlight of peace and independence 
gladden the face of his country. He died in the year 
1780, (the gloomiest period of the A¥ar of Indepen- 
dence), full of years and deserved honors. 

Abkaham Clark. — The nativity of Mr. Clark was 

stores. The garrison joined tlie main army at Hackensack, wliicli 
for tliree weeks fled across the level country of New Jersey, 
before the pursuing enemy, at the end of which a bare remnant 
of it was left. The troops, dispirited by late reverses, left in 
large numbers as fast as their term of enlistment expired, and 
returned to their homes ; and by the last of November the 
American army numbered scarcely three thousand troops, inde- 
pendent of a detachment left at White Plains, under General 
Lee. The country was so level that it afforded no strong posi- 
tion to fortify ; indeed, so necessarily rapid had been the retreat, 
that no time was allowed to pause to erect defenses. Newark, 
New Brunswick, Princeton, Trenton, and smaller places succes- 
sively fell into the hands of the enemy ; and so hot was the 
pursuit, that the rear of the Americans was often in sight of the 
van of the British. On the eighth of December, Washington 
and his army crossed the Delaware in boats, and Cornwallis 
arrived at Ti'enton just in time to see the last boat reach the 
Pennsylvania shore. — " 1776, or the War of Independence,''^ page 
209. 

* Mr. Hart's family, having timely warning of the approach 
of the enemy in pursuit of Washington, fled to a place of safety. 
His farm was ravaged, his timber destroyed, his cattle and stock 
butchered for the use of the British army, and he himself hunted 
like a noxious beast, not daring to remain two nights under the 
same roof. And it was not until Washington's success at the bat- 
tle of Trenton, that this dreadful state of himself and family was 
ended. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 253 

at Elizabethtown, New Jersey, at which place he was 
born on the fifteenth of February, 1726. He, like 
Mr. Hart, was a farmer ; and being an only child, he 
received many advantages which doting parents be- 
stow upon such offspring. But he was made so much 
of in his j^ounger days that, to some extent, his educa- 
tion was neglected. He did not possess by any means 
a stalwart frame, nor a robust constitution; and the 
rough labors of agriculture, therefore, were not suita- 
ble for his health. He, accordingly, turned his atten- 
tion to law and mathematics. He became proficient 
in surveying, although not very learned in the law. 
Yet, for a number of years, he transacted considera- 
ble legal business in Elizabethtown. He was called 
the " Poor Man's Counselor." Mr. Clark held sev- 
eral offices under Eoyal appointment ; but he sided 
with the Kepublican cause, and was placed upon the 
first Yigilance Committee ever organized in New Jer- 
se}^ He was elected a delegate to the Continental 
Congress in 1776, and there voted for and signed the 
Declaration of Independence, although he knew it 
jeopardized his property, his life, and the lives of his 
family. He remained in that body until 1783, except 
one term. In 1788 Mr. Clark was a2;ain elected to 
the General Congress. In the interim he was a mem- 
ber of the State Legislature, and an active politician. 
He early perceived the defects of the old Confederation, 
and was one of the delegates elected by New Jersey 
to the Convention that framed the present Constitution 
of the United States in 1787. He was, however, pre- 
vented from attending by ill-health. He was appointed 
one of the commissioners for settling the accounts of 
New Jersey with the General Government, and ably 
22 



254 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

did he discharge the arduous duty. He was elected a 
member of the first Congress under the present Fed- 
eral Government, and continued an active member of 
that body nntil near the close of his life. When Con- 
gress adjourned in June, 1794, Mr. Clark retired from 
public life ; and early in the autumn of that year, he 
died of inflammation of the brain, (caused by a coup 
de soleil, or " stroke of the sun,") in the sixty-ninth 
year of his age. He was buried in the church-yard at 
Eahway, New Jersey. Mr. Clark was a warm parti- 
san, and his feelings of attachment or repulsion were 
very strong. He had witnessed so much of the cruelty 
and oppression of Great Britain, in her war upon the 
declared freedom of the Colonies, that his feelings of 
hatred could not be soothed by the treaty of peace, 
although he patriotically acquiesced in whatever tended 
to his country's good. He therefore took sides with 
France when questions concerning her came up in 
Congress; and early in 1794 he laid before Congress 
a resolution for suspending all intercourse with Great 
Britain until every item of the treaty of peace should 
be complied Avith. It was not sanctioned by Con- 
gress. 

John Morton. — The ancestors of John Morton 
were of Swedish birth, and came to this country in the 
beginning of the seventeenth century. He selected 
a spot on the Delaware Kiver, a short distance from 
Philadelphia. He was the only child of his father, 
who died before John was born, which event took 
place in the year 1724. His mother, who was quite 
young, afterward married an English gentleman, who 
became greatly attached to his infant charge. Being 
highly educated, and a good practical surveyor, he 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 255 

instructed young Morton in mathematics, as well as 
in all the common branches of a good education. His 
mind was of unusual strength, and at an early age it 
exhibited traits of sound maturity. Mr. Morton first 
accepted official station in 1764, when he was appointed 
justice of the peace under the Provincial Government 
of Pennsylvania. He was soon afterward chosen a 
member of the General Assembly of that Province, 
and for a number of years was Speaker of the House. 
So highly were his public services appreciated, that 
the people were loath to dispense with them. He was 
a delegate to the " Stamp Act Congress" in 1765 ; 
and in 1766 he was made high sheriff of the county 
in which he resided. He warmly espoused the cause 
of the patriots, and on that account, when, after the 
Lexington tragedy, military corps were formed in 
Pennsylvania, he was offered the command of one 
This he declined, on account of other engagements, 
for he then held the office of presiding judge of the 
Quarter Sessions and Common Pleas, arid about the 
same time he was elevated to the betich of the Su- 
preme Court of the Province. In 1774 the Assembly 
of Pennsylvania appointed Mr. Morton a delegate to 
the General Congress. He was re-elected for 1775 in 
December of the same year, and he was also elected 
in 1776 to the same office. His election did not take 
place until some days after the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence was adopted, but he had the privilege of 
signing it in August."^' He was very active while in 

* By virtue of liis previous election, Mr. Morton was in liis 
seat on the memorable Fourtli of July, 1776. The delegation 
from Pennsylvania then present were equally divided in opinion 
upon the subject of independence, and Mr. Morton was called 



256 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

Congress, and the committee duties wliicli be per- 
formed were many and arduous. Among other com- 
mittees on which he served, he formed one of that 
which reported the Articles of Confederation for the 
States, which were adopted, and remained the organic 
law of the nation until the adoption of the present 
Constitution in 1787. Mr. Morton did not live to see 
the blessings of peace and independence descend upon 
his country. He died in April, 1777, in the fifty- 
fourth year of his age, leaving a widow and a large 
family of children. His death was a great public 
calamity, for men of his genius and patriotism were 
needed at that time. His career presented another 
instance of the triumph of virtue and sound principles 
in rising from obscurity to exalted station. 

George Clymer. — The subject of this sketch was 
born in Philadelphia, in the year 1739. His father 
died when George was only seven years of age, leav- 
ing him an orphan, as his mother had died previously. 
George was taken into the family of William Coleman, 
brother to his mother, where he was treated in every 
respect as a son. His education in the branches of or- 
dinary English was carefully guarded, and in a short 

upon officially to give a casting vote for that State. Thus was a 
solemn responsibility thrown upon him — it was for him to de- 
cide whether there should be a unanimous vote of the Colonies 
for Independence — whether Pennsylvania should form one of the 
American Union. But he firmly met the responsibility, and voted 
YES ; and from that moment the United Colonies were declared 
independent States. We have said the delegation from Penn- 
sylvania were divided. It was thus : Morris and Dickenson 
were absent, and Franklin and Wilson were in favor of, and 
Willing and Humphrey were opposed to, the Declaration ; and 
Morton gave the casting vote. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 257 

time he was taken into the counting-room of his uncle, 
and prepared for a commercial life. Mr. Clymer was 
not partial to a mercantile business, for he deemed it 
a pathway beset with many snares for the feet of pure 
morality, as sudden gains and losses were apt to affect 
the character of the most stable. For himself he pre- 
ferred literature and science, and his mind was much 
occupied with these subjects. At the age of twenty- 
seven years he married a Miss Meredith, and entered 
into a mercantile business with his father-in-law, and 
his son, under the firm of Meredith and Sons. His 
uncle died about the same time, and left the principal 
part of his large fortune to Mr. Clymer. Still he con- 
tinued in business with his father-in-law, until his death; 
and with his brother-in-law afterward, until 1782. 
Even before his marriage, when none bnt old commer- 
cial grievances were complained of by the Colonies, 
Mr. Clymer expressed decided republican principles; 
and when the Stamp Act aroused the resistance of the 
American people, he was among the most ardent de- 
fenders of the republican cause. He was a zealous ac- 
tor in all the public meetings in Philadelphia; and 
when, in 1774, military organizations took place pre- 
paratory to a final resort to arms, which seemed inev- 
itable, Mr. Clymer' accepted the coMmand of a volun- 
teer corps belonging to General Cadwallader's brigade. 
When the oppressions which Boston experienced at the 
hands of British power, after the " Tea Biot,"''^* aroused 

* Wlieu the Britisli ministry became C6nviiiced that the Ameri- 
cans would never submit to be taxed without their consent, 
they repealed several acts which were most obnoxious to the 
Colonies, but retained a duty upon tea. This, it was well un- 
derstood in Parliment, was intended as a salvo for British honor, 

22- 



258 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

the strong sympatliy of the people of the commercial 
cities, Mr. Cljmer was placed at the head of a large 
and responsible Committee of Vigilance in Philadel- 
phia, to act as circumstances should require. He was 
also placed upon the first Council of Safety that was 
organized in Philadelphia ; and earl}^ in 1775 he was 
appointed by Congress one of the Continental treasur- 
ers. In 1776, after two of the Pennsylvania delegates 
in the General Congress declined voting for the Decla- 
ration of Independence, and withdrew from their seats, 
Mr. Clymer and Dr. Push were appointed to succeed 
them, and they both joyfully affixed their signatures 
to that instrument. Mr. Clymer was soon afterward 
appointed one of a committee to visit the northern 
army at Ticonderoga; and when the British ap- 
proached Philadelphia at the close of 1776, and Con- 
gress retired to Baltimore, he was put upon a commit- 
tee with Eobert Morris and others, to remain as a Com- 
mittee of Vigilance in that city. He was again elected 
to Congress in 1779, and was one of a committee sent 
by that body to Washington's head-quarters at Valley 

for the government had declared its right to tax the Colonies ; 
and it was urged, that if it should, because of the opposition of 
the Americans, relinquish that right, it would he a virtual abdi- 
cation of government in the Colonies. On the other hand, al- 
though the duty Was but little more than nominal, the Ameri- 
cans saw involved in it a principle they could not sacrifice, and 
therefore they manfully resisted the exercise of the assumed 
right. The duty being so light, the East India Company believ- 
ing the Colonists would not complain, at once sent large cargoes 
of tea to America. In Boston the people would not allow it to 
be landed, and ordered the vessel out of port. Refusing to com- 
ply, a party (some disguised as Indians) went on board on the 
night of the sixteenth of December, 1773, and broke open, and 
cast into the harbor, more than three hundred chests of tea. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIOxXS. 25.J 

Forge, to inquire into the alleged abuses of the com- 
missary department. Mr. Cljmer was peculiarly ob- 
noxious to the British,"^ an evidence of his patriotic 
zeal and unwavering attachment to the Eepublican 
cause. While the enemy were in possession of Phil- 
adelphia in the winter of 1778, they surrounded a 
house which they thought was Mr. Clymer's, Avith the 
intention of demolishing it, but they discovered it to 
belong to a relative of his of the same name, and they 
spared the edifice. In 1778, Mr. Clymer was sent by 
Congress to Pittsburg to endeavor by negotiation to 
quiet the savages, who, influenced by British emissa- 
ries, were committing dreadful ravages on the frontier. 
In this he was successful, and for his arduous services 
lie received the thanks of Congress. In the autumn of 
1780 he Avas elected to Congress for the third time, 
and he continued an attentive and active member until 
1782. During that 3^ear, he joined with Kobert Morris 
and others in the establishment of a bank in Philadel- 
phia, designed for the public good. Mr. Clymer was a 
considerable subscriber, and was made one of its first 
directors.f In 1782, Mr. Clymer and Edward Eut- 
lege were appointed by Congress to visit the Southern 
States, and urge the necessity of a prompt contribu- 

* After the defeat of the Americans at the Brandywine, and 
the British were marching triumphantly toward Philadelphia, 
Mr. Clymer moved his family into the country for safety. But 
their retreat was discovered, and the British soldiers sacked the 
house, destroyed the furniture, and wasted every sort of prop- 
erty which they could find. 

f Two years before, he with Mr. Morris and others, establish- 
ed a private bank, which was designed for the public good, and 
was of great utility. The bank established in 1782 was of a na- 
tional character. 



260 INDEPENDENCE HALL 1 

tion of tlieir assessed quota of funds for the public 
Treasury. The individual States were slow to respond 
to the calls of Congress, and this tardiness very much 
embarrassed the operations of government. On his 
return, Mr. Clymer moved his family to Princeton, New 
Jersey, for the purpose of having his children educated 
there. Public interest soon called him back to Penn- 
sylvania, and he took a seat in its Legislature. It was 
while he was a member of that body, that the crimi- 
nal code of that State was modified, and the peniten- 
tiary system introduced. It is conceded that the credit 
of maturing this Aviser system of punishment, is chiefly 
due to Mr. Clymer, and for this alone he is entitled to the 
veneration due to a public benefactor. Mr. Clymer 
was a member of the Convention that framed the Fed- 
eral Constitution, and was elected one of the first 
members of Congress, convened under that instrument. 
He declined a re-election, and was appointed, by Pres- 
ident Washington, supervisor of the revenue for the 
State of Pennsylvania. This was an of&ce in which 
great firmness and decision of character were requisite, 
in consequence of the spirit of resistance to the collec- 
tion of revenue which was then abroad. In fact, open 
rebellion at length appeared, and the movement known 
as the '' Whisky Insurrection""'^' in Pennsylvania at 



* A portion of the people of tlie interior of Pennsylvania, 
violently opposed tlie excise law, it being a region where much 
whisky was distilled, and hence the tax or duty amounted to a 
considerable resource. This excise law was adopted by Congress 
in 1790, In 1792, so insurrectionary had the people become in 
relation to the duty on distilled liquor, that Congress passed au 
act authorizing the President of the United States to call out the 
militia of the State, if necessary, to enforce the laws. He with- 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 261 

one time threatened serious consequences to the whole 
framework of our government. But Mr. Clymer was 
unawed, and amid many personal dangers he pressed 
forward in the performance of his duty. At length, 
when things became quiet, he resigned. In 1796 he 
was appointed, with Colonels Hawkins and Pickens, 
to negotiate a treaty with the Cherokee and Creek 
tribes of Indians in Georgia. This they eftected to 
the mutual satisfaction of the contending parties. 
This mission closed the public life of Mr. Clymer, 
and the remainder of his days were spent in acts of 
private usefulness,'^ and a personal preparation for 
another world. He died on the tAventy-fourth day ol 
January, 1813, in the seventy-fourth year of his age. 
His long life was an active and useful one, and not a 
single moral stain marked its manifested purity. 

held Ills power for nearly two years, but at length the " Whisky 
Insurrection" assumed such a formidable aspect, that an army 
of fifteen thousand men were placed in the field. The rebellion 
ceased without a conflict. 

* Mr. Clymer was one of the projectors of the Academy of 
Arts and Sciences in Philadelphia, and was its first President, 
which ofiice he held until his decease. He was also one of the 
founders of the Philadelphia Agricultural Society ; and his name 
appears conspicuous in many of the benevolent movements of 
his day. 



262 INDEPENDENCE HALL 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

JAMES S^IITH— -GEOEGE TAYLOR — JAMES WILSON — 
GEORGE ROSS. 

These men were bold, and brave as bold : 
They curbed the tyrant's progress. 

James Smith was born in Ireland, and was quite 
a small cliild when brought by his father to this coun- 
try. The date of his birth is not recorded, and Mr. 
Smith himself could never be induced to tell it. It 
is supposed to be somewhere about 1720. His father, 
who had a numerous family of children, settled upon 
the Susquehanna River, in Pennsylvania, and died 
there in 1761. James Smith was his second son, and 
discovering a strong intellect at an early age, his father 
determined to give him a liberal education. Por this 
purpose he placed him under the charge of Reverend 
Doctor Allison, provost of the College of Philadelphia. 
He there acquired a knowledge of Latin and Greek, 
and, what proved more useful to him^ practical survey- 
ing. After completing his tuition, he began the study 
of law in Lancaster, and when admitted to the bar, he 
removed westward, and practiced both law and sur- 
veying. The place where he located was very sparsedl}?- 
populated, and indeed was almost a wilderness. The 
flourishing town of Shippensburg has since sprung up 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 263 

there. After a short continuance in his wilderness 
home, Mr. Smith moved to the village of York, where 
he found no business competition for many years. He 
married Miss Eleanor Amor, of JSTewcastle, Delaware, 
and became a permanent resident of York, where he 
stood at the head of the bar until the opening of the 
Kevolution. Mr. Smith early perceived the gathering- 
storm which British oppressions were elaborating 
here ; and when men began to speak out fearlessly, 
he was among the first in Pennsylvania to take sides 
with the patriots of Massachusetts and Virginia. He 
heartily seconded the proposition for non-importation 
agreements, and for a General Congress. He was a 
delegate from the County of York to the Pennsylvania 
Convention, whose duty it was to ascertain the senti- 
ments of the people, and publish an address. Mr. 
Smith was a member of the sub-committee chosen to 
prepare the address, which was in the form of instruc- 
tions to the representatives of the people in the 
General Assembly of the State. He w^as earnest in 
endeavoring to arouse the people to positive resistance, 
and as early as 1774 he was in favor of cutting the 
bond that held the Colonies to the British throne.* 

* He was convinced that reconciliation was out of the ques- 
tion, and that war was inevitable. He accordingly raised and 
drilled a volunteer corps at York, (the first ever raised in the 
State,) which was the commencement of a general organization 
of the militia in that Province. Other companies were formed, 
and when a sufficient number were organized to form a regiment, 
Mr. Smith was elected colonel. His age, however, precluded his 
entering upon active service, and he held the office as an hon- 
orary boon. According to the testimony of Mr. Penn before 
Parliament, the body of military " Associators" thus founded 
by Mr. Smith amounted in number, before the Declaration of 
Independence, to twenty thousand, whose services were pledged 
to the State. 



26-i INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

When Congress passed a resolution recommending 
the several Colonies to '^ adopt such governments as 
in the opinion of the representatives of the people 
might best conduce to the happiness andsafety of their 
coDstituents/' the Pennsylvania Assembly was slow 
to act accordingly. In fact its instructions to its dele- 
gates in Congress were not favorable to independence; 
and it was not until the people of that State spoke out 
their sentiments in a general convention, that Penn- 
sylvania was truly represented there. The seats of 
her delegates, who refused to vote for the Declaration 
of Independence, and Avithdrew from Congress, were 
filled with bold men, and one of these was James 
Smith, who, with George Clymer and Benjamin Rush, 
took his seat some days after that glorious instrument 
was adopted. He was there in time, however, to place 
his signature to the parchment on the second day of 
Auo-ust ensuino;. Mr. Smith was a member of the 
convention of Pennsylvania convened to form a con- 
stitution for the State after the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence. There he was very active, and it was not 
until October, 1776, that he was a regular attendant 
in the General Congress. He was soon after appointed 
one of a most important committee, whose business 
was to aid Washington in opposing the progress of 
General Howe's army.''^ In the spring of 1777, Mr. 
Smith declined a re-election to Congress, and resumed 
his professional business at York ; but the unfortunate 
defeats of the Americans at the Brandywine and at 
Germantown, and the capture of Philadelphia by the 

^ His associates were James Wilson, Samuel Chew, George 
Clymer, and Ricliard Stockton. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 265 

Britisli, called for his valuable presence in the national 
council, and he obeyed the voice of duty. Congress 
adjourned to Lancaster when Howe's army took Phil- 
adelphia, and afterward it adjourned to York, the place 
of Mr. Smith's residence. Wiien the battle of Mon- 
mouth in 1778 made the hope of American triumph 
beam brightly, Mr. Smith I'ctired again from Congress, 
and resumed his professional business. In 1779 he 
was called to a seat in the Legislature of Pennsylvania, 
where he served one term, and then withdrew. This 
closed his public career, and he lived in the enjoyment 
of domestic happiness until liis death, which occurred 
on the eleventh day of July, 1806. He is supposed 
to have been nearly ninety years of age. 

George Taylor. — The subject of this sketch was 
born in Ireland, in the year 1716, and came to this 
country when he was about twenty years of age. He 
was the son of a clergyman, but whether Roman Cath- 
olic or Protestant is not known. He was well edu- 
cated, but was poor on his arrival, and performed 
menial service for a livelihood. He afterward became 
a clerk in the iron establishment of Mr. Savage, at 
Durham, in Pennsylvania; and some time after the 
death of his employer, he married that gentleman's 
widow, by which he came into possession of consider- 
able property and a thriving business. After pur- 
suing the business for some time at Durham, and 
acquiring a handsome fortune, Mr. Taylor purchased 
an estate on the Lehigh, in Northumberland County, 
and erected iron works there. His wealth, education, 
and business talents, and his urbanity of manner, soon 
gained for him the esteem and confidence of the people, 
and he was elected l)y them a member of the Colonial 
23 



266 INDEPENDENCE HALL*. 

Assembly in 1764. In that body he soon became a 
distinguished actor, and was placed npon its most im- 
portant committees. It was during Mr. Taylor's mem- 
bership in the Colonial Assembly of Pennsylvania that 
that body received the circular letter from Massachu- 
setts proposing a General Colonial Congress at New 
York in 1765. The Assembly accepted the invitation, 
and Mr. Taylor was one of the committee to whom 
was assigned the duty of drawing up instructions for 
the delegates from that Province. Mr. Taylor was a 
member of the Provincial Assembly live consecutive 
years, when, finding his private interests suffering in 
consequence of his absence, he declined a re-election, 
and for some time withdrew from public life. He was 
elected to the Provincial Congress in 1775, and was 
one of the committee appointed to draw up instruc- 
tions for the delegates to the General Congress, which 
convened in May of that year. These instructions, 
which were not sanctioned by the Assembly until 
November, contained ^ clause strictly prohibiting the 
delegates from concurring in any proposition for po- 
litical independence, a reconciliation being still hoped 
for. But public feeling very materially changed on 
this point during the spring of 1776, and in June that 
prohibition was removed, and the delegates were left 
to act according to their own discretion. Still, a por- 
tion of the delegates remained fii'm in their opposition 
to the measure, and Mr. Taylor was one of those ap- 
pointed to fill their places. He was therefore not 
present in Congress when the Declaration of Independ- 
ence was adopted, but was there in time to sign it on 
the second day of August. Mr. Taylor remained in 
Congress one year, and then withdrew from public 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 267 

tife and settled in Easton. He died on the twenty- 
third day of February, 1781, aged sixty-five years. 

James Wilson. — This distinguished patriot was 
born in Scotland in 1742, and emio^rated to this coun- 
try in 1766. He had received his education under 
some of the best teachers in Edinburgh, and he brought 
with him such strono- recommendations to eminent 
citizens of Philadelphia, that he soon obtained a situa- 
tion as an assistant teacher in the Philadelphia Col- 
lege, then under the supervision of the Reverend 
Doctor Peters. In the course of a few months he 
commenced the study of law in the office of the emi- 
nent John Dickenson ; and, after two years' close ap- 
plication, he established himself in business, first in 
Reading and afterward in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He 
finally fixed his permanent residence in Philadelphia. 
He rapidly rose to eminence in his profession, and 
became distinguished as an ardent supporter of the 
Republican cause whenever an oppportunity presented 
itself. Having adopted America as his home, Mr. 
Wilson espoused her cause with all the aidor of a 
native-born citizen. This gave him great popularity, 
and in 1774 he was elected a member of the Provin- 
cial Assembly of Pennsylvania. In May, 1775, he 
was chosen a delegate to the General Congress, to- 
gether with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Willing. 
He was again elected for the session of 1776, and 
warmly supported the motion of Richard Henry Lee 
for absolute independence. He voted for and signed 
the Declaration of Disenthralment, and remained an 
active member of Congress until 1777, when he and 
Mr. Clymer were not re-elected in consequence of the 
operations of a strong party spirit which at that time 



268 INDEPENDENCE HALL : 

existed ill the Pennsylvania Assembly. He had been 
an indefatigable coadjutor with Mr. Smith in the or- 
ganization of volunteer military corps, and was elected 
colonel of a regiment in 1774. The energy he there 
displayed was now again exerted in raising recruits 
for the Continental army, and through his influence 
the Pennsylvania line was much strengthened. In 
1778 difficulties having arisen with the Indians within 
the bounds of the State, Mr. Wilson was sent as a com- 
missioner to treat with them, and he Avas successful in 
his undertaking. Soon after the arrival of M. Gerard, 
the French minister, Mr. Wilson formed an acquaint- 
ance with him, which ripened into friendship ; and M. 
Gerard was so struck with the versatility of his talents, 
tuat in 1780 he appointed him the Advocate-General 
of the French nation in the United States, an office 
which required a thorough knowledge of international 
and commercial laws. The appointment was confirmed 
by the French king in 1781. Toward the close of 
1782 Mr. Wilson was again elected a delegate to the 
General Congress, and took his seat in January, 1783. 
During that year the executive council of Pennsylva- 
nia appointed him an agent and counselor in the con- 
troversy of that State with Connecticut respecting the 
Wyoming domain. In this important service he was 
very successful, and the matter was brought to an 
amicable settlement. He was again elected to Con- 
gress toward the close of 1785, and took his seat in 
March following. He was an active member of the 
convention that framed the Federal Constitution in 
1787, and was chairman of the committee that reported 
the first draft. He was also a member of the State con- 
vention that ratified it, and was chosen to deliver an 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 269 

oration on the occasion of a celebration of the event 
in Philadelphia. He was also a member of the con- 
vention that framed a new constitution for Pennsyl- 
vania in 1788. In the arrangement of the judiciary 
under the Federal Constitution, President AVashington 
appointed Mr. Wilson one of the judges of the Su- 
preme Court of the United States. He was appointed 
the first Professor of Law in the College of Philadel- 
phia in 1790, and when in 1792 that institution and 
the University of Pennsylvania were united, he was 
chosen to the same professorship there, which office, 
as well as that of judge of the Supreme Court, he held 
until his death. Tn his official capacity as judge of 
the United States Supreme Circuit Court, he fre- 
quently made long journeys into other States. It was 
while on a judicial circuit in Korth Carolina that his 
death occurred on the twenty-eighth day of August, 
1798, at the house of his friend, Judge Iredell, of 
Edenton. He was in the fifty sixth year of his age. 

George Eoss was born in Newcastle, Delaware, 
in the year 1780. His father was a highly-esteemed 
minister of the Episcopal church in that town, and he 
educated his son with much care, having himself ex- 
perienced the great advantage of a liberal education. 
He soon became very proficient in Latin and Greek, 
and at the age of eighteen years entered, as a student, 
the law office of his brother, then a respectable mem- 
ber of the Philadelphia bar. He was admitted to prac- 
tice at the age of twenty-one years, and fixed his 
residence in Lancaster, where lie married a highly- 
respectable young woman named Lawler. Mr. Eoss 
first appeared in public life in 1768, when he was 
elected a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly for 
28^ 



270 IXDEPEXJ)KXCE HALL: 

Lancaster. He was mucli respected in that body, and 
was re-elected several successive years. And when 
the enactments of the British Cabinet for enslaving 
the Colonies were causing the public men of America 
to define their positions, Mr. Ross very readily took 
side with the patriots, and heartily commended the 
proposed measure of calling a General Congress. He 
was chosen one of the seven delegates which repre- 
sented Pennsylvania in that august convention, and 
was present at the opening in September, 177^1: ; and, 
strange as it may appear, Mr. Ross was directed by 
the Assembly of Pennsylvania to draw up the instruc- 
tions which were to govern himself and his colleagues 
in the Continental Congress. And so highly was he 
esteemed by his fellow-citizens, that during the whole 
time that he was in Congress, from 1774 to 1777, he 
was regularly elected a member of the Assembly of 
Pennsylvania, as a representative for Lancaster 
Nearly his whole time was consumed by attention to 
public duties in one or the other of these legislative 
councils, yet he freely gave it " without money and 
without price."'^ He was a warm supporter of the 
resolution of Mr. Lee proposing independence, and 
joyfull}^ signed the Declaration thereof on the second 
of August, 1766. The benevolent attributes of Mr. 
Ross's character led him early to exercise an active 
sympathy for the remnants of the Indian tribes in his 
vicinity, and through his inQuence their condition was 

* As a testimony of their appreciation of his services in the 
General Congress, it was voted that tlie sum of one liundred and 
fifty pounds sterling should he sent to him as a free gift from 
the treasury of Lancaster County. But his stern patriotism 
made him courteously refuse the protfered donation. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOClATiONS. 271 

ameliorated, and justice meted out to them, and their 
just wrath was frequently appeased by his exertions, 
when it threatened to burst like a consuming fire upon 
tlie frontier settlements. Both his own State Leoisla- 
ture and the National Council made him a mediator in 
difficulties which arose with the Indians, and he acted 
the noble part of a pacificator and a true philanthro- 
pist. Nor did his humane sentiments flow out toward 
the oppressed Eed man alone, but wherever weakness 
was trodden down by strength he fearlessly lent his 
aid. Thus, when Tories or adherents to the Crown 
were persecuted and imprisoned, and it was esteemed 
next to treason to defend their cause, Mr. Eoss, Mr. 
Wilson, and a few others, were ever ready to plead in 
their behalf'-'' In April, 1799, Mr. Eoss was appointed 
a judge of the Court of Admiralty for Pennsylvania, in 
which office he would undoubtedly have greatly dis- 
tinguished himself, had not death suddenly closed his 
active and highly useful life in July, 1780, in the 
fiftieth year of his age. 

" The Tories of tlie Revolution were far more despised ("and 
justly so) by the patriots than the mercenary troops of Great 
Britain. They not only lifted their hands against their own 
brethren, but in many cases their treachery and cruelty ex- 
ceeded the worst acts of the British soldiery. During the win- 
ter, when the American army was suffering every thing but 
death at Valley Forge, the interior of Pennsylvania swarmed 
with Tories ; and when Washington, by order of Congress, pro- 
ceeded to take, by force, the grain and other food which the 
Tory farmers refused to sell to the army, they, in some in- 
stances, burnt their produce, rather than have it feed the 
starving Americans ! 



272 INDEPENDENCE HALL 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

C^SAR RODNEY — GEORGE READ — THOMAS m'KEAN — 
SAMUEL CHASE — THOMAS STONE — WM. PACA. 

^^Auxilia humilia firma consensus facit.^^ 
Union gives firmness and solidity to tlie humblest means. 

C-^SAR Rodney was born at Dover, in the Province 
of Delaware, in the year 1730. He was descended 
from English ancestry. His grandfather came from 
England soon after AYilliam Penn commenced the set. 
tlement of Pennsylvania. After remaining a short 
time in Philadelphia, and forming acquaintances with 
some of its most esteemed citizens, he went into the 
County of Kent, on the DelaAvare, and settled upon a 
plantation. He was an active man, and becoming very 
popular, he held many posts of honor and distinction 
in that Province. He had several sons, but lost them 
all except his youngest, Ciesar, tlie father of the sub- 
ject of this memoir. Unambitious of public honors, 
and preferring the quiet of domestic life to the bustle 
and turmoil of tlie political field, he declined all offices 
that were tendered to him ; and in the midst of agri- 
cultural pursuits lie enriched his mind by study, and 
prepared his children for the duties of life. He mar- 
ried the daughter of an esteemed clergyman, and 
Caesar being the first born, received their special at- 



ITS HISTORY AND AtSOCIATIOXS. 273 

tentioii iu llie matter of education of mind and heart. 
On the death of his father, Mr. Rodney, as the eldest 
male heir, inherited the paternal estate, and Avith it 
the distinguished consideration with which the family 
had ever been regarded. When the Stamp Act ex- 
cited the jealousy and alarm of the Colonies, Mr. Rod- 
ney boldl)' proclaimed his sentiments in opposition to 
it and several antecedent acts of injustice which the 
British Government had inflicted upon her Colonies 
in America. He acted as well as thought and spoke, 
and when the " Stamp Act Congress" m.et in New 
York, in 1765, Mr. Rodney, together with Mr. M'Kean 
and Mr. Rollock, Avas chosen delegate thereto by a 
unanimous vote. Mr. Rodney was a member of the 
Provincial Assembly in 1769, and was chosen its 
Speaker. He continued a member, and the Speaker 
of that body until 177-1; and, as chairman of the cor- 
responding committee, he Avas arduous in plying his 
pen in the interchange of political sentiments Avith his 
compatriots in other Colonies. He was elected a dele- 
gate to the General Congress by a convention of the 
people of the three counties of Delaware in August, 
1774, and took his seat at the opening of Congress on 
the fifth of September following. His colleagues were 
Thomas M'Kean and George Read, and three more 
devoted and active men than these could hardly be 
found. He was one of a committee who dreAV up a 
Declaration of Rights, and set forth, in an address, the 
causes for complaint under which the colonists groaned. 
Mr. Rodney Avas elected a delegate for 1775, and Avhile 
attending to his duties in Congress he was appointed 
Brigadier-General of his Province. He was in Con- 
gress during the closing debates upon the proposition 



,274 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

for a Declaration of Independence in 1776, but was 
sent for by liis colleague, Mr. M'Kean, so as to secure 
the vote of Delaware for that important measure. He 
arrived in time to give his voice for independence, and 
enjoyed the high privilege of signing the revered 
parchment. On his return to his constituents they 
approved, by acclamation, of his acts in the national 
council. After the battle of Princeton, at the begin- 
ning of 1777, in which Colonel Haslet, who belonged 
to General Rodney's brigade, was killed, the latter 
immediately started for the army, and meeting Lord 
Stirling at Philadelphia, received orders to remain at 
Princeton, and make it a sort of recruiting station. 
Greneral Podney remained there for about two months, 
when his services became no longer necessary, and he 
returned to his family. Soon after his return home, 
he was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court. He, 
however, declined the honor, preferring the more 
active life of his military station. He was soon after- 
ward called to marshal his brigade to a scene of in- 
surrectionary disorder in Delaware, which he speedily 
quelled ; and he also joined the main army of Wash- 
ington when the British under Lord Howe landed at 
the mouth of the Elk River, and directed their march 
toward Philadelphia. While thus laboring for his 
country's good, Mr. Rodney suffered greatly from the 
effects of a disease (cancer in the cheek) that had been 
upon him from his youth, and it made dreadful in- 
roads upon his health. Feeling conscious that he was 
wasting away, he retired from public life, and calmly 
' awaited the summons for departure to the spirit-land. 
He died early in the year 1783, when in the fifty- 
third year of his age. 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 275 

George Read was born in Cecil County, in the 
Province of Maryland, in the year IToi, and was the 
eldest of six brothers. He was of Irish descent. His 
father emigrated to America from Ireland, about 1726. 
George was placed in a school of considerable repute at 
Chester, in Pennsylvania, where he made much progress 
in Latin and Greek, his father having previously in- 
structed him in all the common branches of a good En- 
glish education. He was afterward placed under the 
care of the Rev. Dr. Allison, who at various times had 
charge of several pupils, who were afterward mem- 
bers of the Continental Congress, or held other high 
official stations. At the age of seventeen years young- 
Read commenced the study of law in the office of John 
Morland, a distinguished barrister of Philadelphia. 
He was admitted to the bar in 1753, at the early age of 
nineteen years, and then commenced a career of honor 
and usefulness to himself and others. In 175-1, he set- 
tled in the county of Newcastle, Delaware, and com- 
menced the practice of his profession. Although com- 
petitors of eminence were all around him, Mr. Read 
soon rose to their level, and at the age of twenty- nine, 
he succeeded John Ross,"^ as Attorney-General for the 
"lower counties on the Delaware," of Kent, Sussex 
and Newcastle. This office he held until elected a 
delegate to the Continental Congress, in 1774. In 
1775, Mr. Read was elected a member of the General 
Assembly of Delaware, and was re-elected to the office 
eleven consecutive years. He was one of a committee 
of that body, who, in view of the odious features of 

* He was married in 1763 to the accomplislied and pious 
daughter of the Rev. George Ross, the pastor of a church in New- 
castle, and a rehative of the Attorney-General. 



276 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

the Stamp Act, proposed an address to the King in 
behalf of the people of the Province. 

When the sufferings of the people of Boston from 
the effects of the Act of Parliament known as the " Bos- 
ton Port Bill," excited the warmest sympathy through- 
out the Colonies, and subscriptions for their relief were 
everywhere made — Mr. Reed, with Nicholas Van Dyke, 
was made the channel of transmission of the donations 
of the people of Delaware, and he was exceedingly ac- 
tive himself in procuring pecuniary and other aid. In 
1774, Mr. Read, with Ctesar Rodney and Thomas 
M'Kean for colleagues, was appointed by the Assembly 
of Delaware, a delegate to the General Congress that 
met in September of that year, at Philadelphia. He 
was a delegate also in 1775 and 1776, and during the 
early part of the latter 3^ear, his labors were divided 
between his duties in Congress and the affairs of his 
own State. He Avas an earnest advocate of the Decla- 
ration of Independence, and considered it a high privi- 
lege when he placed his name upon the parchment. 
After the declaration, the people of Delaware formed a 
State Constitution, and Mr. Read was President of the 
Convention that framed the instrument. His arduous 
duties at length affected his health; and in 1798, death 
by sudden illness closed his useful life, in the sixty- 
fourth year of his age. 

Thomas ^I/Kean was born in New London, Ches- 
ter County, Pennsylvania, in the year 1734. His 
father was a native of Ireland, and Thomas was the 
second child of his parents. After receiving the usual 
elementary instruction, he was placed under the care 
of the Rev. Dr. Allison, and was a pupil under him 
with Georcje Read. At the conclusion of bis studies 



ITS HISTOnY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 277 

he entered the office of David Finney of Newcastle, 
as a law student ; and so soon did his talents become 
manifest, that in the course of a few months after eii- 
tej-ing upon the study of the law, he was employed 
as an assistant clerk of the Court of Common Pleas. 
In fact he performed all the duties of the principal. 
He was admitted to the bar before he was twenty-one 
years of age, and permitted to practice in the three 
counties of Delaware. Mr. M'Kean soon rose to emi- 
nence in his profession, and attracted the attention of 
most of the leading men of the day. Without any 
solicitation or premonition, he was appointed, in 1756, 
by the Attornej^-General of the Province, his deputy 
to prosecute all claims for the Crown in the County of 
Sussex. He was then only twenty-two years old. The 
next year (1757) he was admitted to practice in the 
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, and about the same 
time the House of Assembly of Delaware elected him 
their clerk. He declined a second election in 1758. 

Mr. M'Kean was a delegate to the " Stamp Act Con- 
gress," in 1765, and was the associate upon a commit- 
tee with James Otis and Thomas Lynch, in preparing 
an address to the British House of Commons. For 
their services in that Cono-ress, he and his colleao-ue, 
Mr. Podney, received the unanimous thanks of the 
Assembly of Delaware. Mr. M'Kean zealously op- 
posed the encroachments of British power upon Amer- 
ican rights, and he heartilj^ concurred in the sentiments 
of the Massachusetts Circular, recommending a Gen- 
eral Congress. He was elected a delegate thereto, was 
present at the opening on the fifth of September, 1774, 
and soon became distinguished as one of the most ac- 
tive men in that august body. He continued a mem- 
24 



2 / 8 INDEPENDENCE HALL : 

ber of the Continental Congress from tliat time, until 
the ratilication of the treaty of peace in 1788. Im- 
pressed with the conviction that reconciliation with 
Great Britain was out of the question, he zealously 
supported the measure which led to a final Declara- 
tion of Independence ; and when that Declaration was 
submitted to Congress for action, he voted for and 
signed it. From the period of the conclusion of the 
war, Judge M'Kean was actively engaged in Pennsyl- 
vania and Delaware, in various services which the ar- 
rangement of discordant political elements into a sym- 
metrical form of government required ; and his labors 
in aid of the formation and adoption of the Federal 
Constitution were various and arduous. He continued 
in the chair of Chief Justice of Pennsylvania, until 
1799, (a period of twenty years,) when he was elected 
Governor of that State. To this office he was elected 
three successive terms, and held it nine years. At the 
session of 1807--8, of the Pennsylvania Legislature, his 
opponents presented articles of impeachment for mal- 
administration, which closed with a resolution that 
'' Thomas M'Kean, the Governor of the Commonwealth, 
be impeached of high crimes and misdemeanors." The 
charges were brought fully before the House, but by 
the summary measure of indefinitely postponing their 
consideration, they were never acted upon. The last 
public act of Governor M'Kean, was to preside over 
the deliberations of the people of Philadelphia, when, 
during the war with Great Britain in 1812, that city 
was threatened with an attack from the enemy. He 
then withdrew into private life, where he remained 
until his death, which occurred on the twenty-fourth 
day of June, 1817, in the eighty-fourth year of liis age. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 279 

Samuel Chase was born on the seventeenth day 
of April; 1741, in Somerset County, Maryland. His 
flither was a clergyman of the Protestant Episcopal 
church, and possessing an excellent education liim- 
self, he imparted such instruction to his son in the 
study of the classics, and in the common branches of 
an English education, as well fitted him for entering 
upon professional life. He commenced the study of 
law at the age of eighteen years, under Messrs. Ham- 
mond and Hall of Annapolis, who stood at the head 
of their profession in that section of the province. At 
the age of twenty he was admitted to practice before 
the mayor's court; and at twenty-two he became a 
member of the bar, and was allowed to practice in the 
chancery and other colonial courts. He located at 
Annapolis, where he soon became distinguished as an 
advocate, and one of the most successful lawyers in 
the province. At the early age of twenty years, Mr. 
Chase was chosen a member of the Provincial As- 
sembly, and there his independence of feeling and 
action in matters of principle greatly offended those 
time-serving legislators who fawned at the feet of the 
royal governor. There he first gave evidence of that 
stamina of character which he afterward so strongly 
manifested when called upon to act amid the momen 
tons scenes of the Eevolution. The Stamp Act 
aroused the energies of his soul to do battle for his 
country's rights, and he was among the first in Mary- 
land Avho lifted up voice and hand against the op- 
pressor. He became obnoxious to the authorities of 
Annapolis, and they attempted, by degrading epithets, 
to crush his eagle spirit while yet a fledgling. But 
their persecution extended his notoriety, and he soon 



280 IXDEPENDEXCE HALL : 

becaiiie popular with the great mass of the people. 
Mr. Chase was one of the five delegates to the first 
Continental Congress, in 1774, appointed by a con- 
vention of the people of Maryland. He was also ap- 
pointed by the same meeting, one of the "Committee 
of Correspondence" for that Colon3^ These appoint- 
ments made him obnoxious to the adherents to royalty, 
yet their good opinion was the least tiling he coveted. 
In the Greneral Congress he was bold and energetic, 
and even at that early day, he expressed his senti- 
ments freely in favor of absolute independence. This 
feeling, however, was not general in the Colonies, and 
the people were desirous of reconciliation by righteous 
means, rather than independence. Early in the spring 
of 1776, he was appointed one of a committee wdth 
Dr. Franklin and Charles Carroll, to go on a mission 
to Canada, the chief object of which Avas to effect a 
concurrence, in that Province, with the movements in 
the other English Colonies. Mr, Chase gave his vote 
for the Declaration of Independence, and signed the 
instrument with a willing hand. He continued a 
member of Congress until 1778, and was almost 
constantly employed in the duties of most important 
committees. Some of these w^ere of a delicate and 
trying nature, yet he never allowed his sensibility to 
control his judgment, or shake his firmness of pur- 
pose. In 1796, President Washington nominated him 
a judge of the Supreme Court of the United States, 
which nomination was confirmed by the Senate. He 
held the office about fifteen years, and no man ever 
stood higher for honesty of purpose and integrity of 
motives, than Judge Chase. Notwithstanding the 
rancor of such party feeling as dared to charge Presi- 



ITS mSTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 281 

dent Washington with appropriating the public money 
to his own private use, did all in its power to pluck 
the ermine from his shoulders, - yet his purity beamed 
the brighter as the clouds grew darker, and he lived 
to hear the last whisper of calumny flit by like a bat 
in the morning twilight. His useful life terminated 
on the nineteenth day of June, 1811, when he was in 
the seventieth year of his age. Judge Chase was a 
man of great benevolence of feeling, f and in all his 
Avalks he exemplified the beauties of Christianity, of 
which he was a sincere professor. At the time of his 
death he was a communicant in St. Paul's church in 
Baltimore, of the parish of which, when he was a 
child, his father had pastoral charge. 

Thomas Stone. — Many of those bold patriots who 
pledged life, fortune and honor, in support of the Inde- 
pendence of the United States of America, left behind 
but few written memorials of the scenes in which they 

* His political and personal opponents procured liis impeacli- 
ment in 1804, for malconduct on the bench. He was tried and 
honorably acquitted, to the shame and confusion of his enemies. 

t We cannot forbear relating an incident in which this cha- 
racteristic was displayed. Being on a visit to Baltimore, about 
the close of the Revolution, curiosity led him to a debating so- 
ciety, where he was struck by the eloquence of a young man, a 
druggist's clerk. He ascertained his name, sought an inter- 
view, and advised him to study law. The youth stated frankly 
that his poverty was an insuperable impediment in the way. 
Mr. Chase at once ofi'ered him a seat at his table and free access 
to his extensive library. The young man gratefully accepted 
the kind offer, went through a course of legal studies, and was 
admitted to the bar, after passing an examination with distin- 
guished ability. That young man was William Pinkney, after- 
ward Attorney-Cleneral of tlie Uiiited States, and minister for 
the same at the Court of Great Britain. 

21^ 



282 INDEPENDENCE IIALL : 

took a conspicuous part, and liencethe biographers who 
engaged in the task of delineating the characters and 
acts of those men, were obliged to find their materials 
in scattered fragments among public records, or from 
the lips of surviving relations or compatriots. Such 
was the case of Thomas Stone, the subject of this brief 
sketch, whose unassuming manners and attachment to 
domestic life kept him in apparent obscurit}^ except when 
called forth bj the commands of duty. Thomas Stone 
was born at the Pointoin Manor, in the Province of 
Maryland, in the year 1743. After receiving a good 
English education, and some knowledge of the classics, 
he entered upon the study of the laAV, and at the age 
of twenty-one years he commenced its practice. Where 
he began business in his profession is not certainly 
known, but it is supposed to have been in Annapolis. 
Although quite unambitious of personal fame, he nev- 
ertheless, from the impulses of a patriotic heart, es- 
poused the cause of the patriots and took an active 
part in the movements preliminary to the calling of 
the first General Congress in 1774. He was elected 
one of the first five delegates thereto from that State, 
and after actively performing his duties throughout 
that first short session, he again retired to private life. 
But his talents and patriotism had become too conspic- 
uous for his fellow-citizens to allow him to remain in- 
active, and toward the latter part of 1775, he was 
asrain elected to the General Cono-ress. 

o o 

Mr. Stone, like Paca and others, voted for and signed 
the Declaration of Independence. He was one of the 
committee who framed the Articles of Confederation, 
which were finally adopted in November, 1777. He 
was again elected to Congress that year, and finally 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 283 

retired from it early in 1778, and entered the Legisla- 
ture of his own state, where he earnestly advocated 
the adoption, by that body, of the Articles of Confede- 
ration. The Maryland Legislature was too strongly 
imbued with the ultra principles of State rights and 
absolute independence of action to receive with favor 
the proposition for a general political union, with Con- 
gress for a Federal head, and it was not until 1781 
that that State agjreed to the confederation. Mr. Stone 
was again elected to Congress in 1783, and was pres- 
ent when General Washington resigned his military 
commission into the hands of that body. In 1784, he 
was appointed President of Congress, ^ro tempore; and 
had not his native modesty supervened, he would doubt- 
less have been regularly elected to that important sta- 
tion, then the highest office in the* gift of the people. 
On the adjournment of Congress, he returned to his 
constituents and resumed the duties of his profession 
at Port Tobacco, the place of his residence, where he 
died, on the fifth of October, 1787, in the forty-fifth 
year of his age. 

William Paca was the descendant of a wealthy 
planter on the east shore of Maryland. He was born 
at Wye Hall, his paternal residence, in the year 1740. 
His early moral and intellectual training was carefully 
attended to, and at a proper age he was placed in the 
Philadelphia College, whence he graduated, after a 
course of arduous and profitable study, with great 
credit to himself Pie then commenced the study of 
law with Mr. Hammond and Mr. Hall, of Annapolis, 
and Samuel Chase, his subsequent Congressional col- 
league, was a fellow student. Mr. Paca was admitted 
to the bar at the age of twenty, and the next year 



284 INDEPENDENCE HALL : 

(1761), he ^Yas chosen a member of the Provincial As- 
sembly. When the Stamp Act, in 1765, aroused the 
people of the Colonies to tlieir common clanger, Mr. 
Paca, with Mr. Chase and Mr. Carrol, warmly opposed 
its operation. And every succeeding measure of the 
British government, asserting its right to tax the 
Americans without their consent, was fearlessly con- 
demned by him, and thus he soon obtained the disappro- 
bation of the royal governor of the Province, and of 
those who adhered to the king and parliament. Like Mr. 
Chase he became very popular wdth the people by his 
patriotic conduct. He approved of the proposition for 
a General Congress in 1774, and he zealously promoted 
the meeting of people in country conventions to ex- 
press their sentiments upon this point. Pie was ap- 
pointed by a State Convention of Marjdand, one of its 
live representatives to the Continental Congress, who 
were instructed to " ag:ree to all measures which mie^ht 
be deemed necessary to obtain a redress of American 
grievances." Mr. Paca w^as re-elected in 1775, and 
continued a member of Conscress until 1778, when he 
was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of 
his State. Like Mr. Chase, Mr. Paca was much em- 
barrassed in Congress by the opposition of his con- 
stituents to independence, and their loyal adherence to 
the British Crown, as manifested in their instructions, 
frequently repeated in the early part of 1776. Even 
as late as the middle of May, they passed a resolution 
prohibiting their delegates from voting for indepen- 
dence ; but on the twenty-eighth of the same mouth a 
remarkable change in their opinions took place, and 
they ceased praying for the Idncj and royal family ! This 
was a sort of half wheel, and toward the latter part of 



ITS HISIOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 285 

June the convention finished its evolutions by a " right 
about face," and w ithdrew their restrictions upon the 
votes of their delegates. Thus relieved, Mr. Paca and 
his associates continued their efforts to effect a declara- 
tion of independence with more zeal than ever, and re- 
corded their votes for tlie severance of the political 
bond of union with Great Britain, on the fourth of July 
following. On the second of August, they fearlessly af- 
fixed their signatures to the parchment. About the 
beginning of 1778, Mr. Paca was appointed Chief Jus- 
tice of the State of Maryland. He performed the du- 
ties with great ability and fidelity until 1782, when he 
was elected President or Governor of that State, under 
the old Articles of Confederation. He held the execu- 
tive office one 3^ear, and then retired to private life. ^ 
He was a pure and active patriot, a consistent Christian, 
and a valuable citizen, in every sense of the word. 
His death was mourned as a public calamity; and his 
life, pure and spotless, active and useful, exhibited a 
bright exemplar for the imitation of the young men of 
America. He died in 1799, in the sixtieth year of his 
age. 



286 INDEPENDENCE HALL*. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

WILLIAM FLOYD — LEWIS MORRIS — WILLIAM WIL- 
LIAMS — MATTHEW THORNTON — STEPHEN HOPKINS 
— WILLIAM ELLERY — ROGER SHERMAN. 

A stern array of noble men, 
Whose actions cannot die. 

William Floyd. — Wales, in Great Britain, was 
the fatlierland of William Floyd. His grandiatlier 
came liitlier from that country in the year 1680, and 
settled at Setauket, on Long Island. He was distin- 
guished for his wealth, and possessed great influence 
among his brother agriculturists. The subject of this 
memoir was born on the seventeenth day of December, 
17 '64:. His wealthy father gave him every opportu- 
nity for acquiring useful knowledge. He had scarcely 
closed his studies, before the death of his fjither called 
him to the supervision of the estate, and he performed 
his duties with admirable skill and fidelity. His 
various excellencies of character, united with a pleas- 
ing address, made him very popular; and having 
espoused the republican cause in opposition to the op- 
pressions of the mother country, he was soon called 
into active public life. Mr. Floyd was elected a dele- 
gate from New York to the first Continental Congress, 
in 1774, and Avas one of the most active members of 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 287 

that body. He had previously been appointed com- 
mander of the militia of Suffolk County ; and early in 
1775, after his return from Congress, learning that a 
naval force threatened an invasion of the Island, and 
that troops were actually debarking, he placed him- 
self at the head of a division, marched toward the 
point of intended debarkation, and awed the invaders 
into a retreat to their ships. He was again returned 
to the General Congress, in 1775, and the numerous 
committees of which he was a member attest his great 
activity. He ably supported the resolutions of Mr. 
Lee, and cheerfully voted for and signed the Declara- 
tion of Independence. While attending faithfully to 
his public duties in Congress, he suffered greatly in 
the destruction of his property and the exile of his 
flimily from their home. After the battle of Long 
Island, in August, 1776, and the retreat of the 
American army across to York Island, his fine estate 
was exposed to the rude uses of the British soldiery, 
and his family were obliged to seek shelter and pro- 
tection in Connecticut. His mansion was. the rendez- 
vous for a party of cavalry, his cattle and sheep were 
used as provision for the British army, and for seven 
years he derived not a dollar of income from his prop- 
erty. Yet he abated not a jot in his zeal for the cause, 
and labored on hopefully, alternately in Congress and 
in the Leo^islature of New York.'- Throu2:h his skill- 



'o 



* After the Declaration of Independence was adopted, the 
States organized governments of their own. General Floyd 
was elected a Senator in the first legislative body that con- 
vened in New York, after the organization of the new gov- 
ernment, and was a most useful member in getting the new 
machinery into successful operation. 



288 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

fill management, in conncciion wiih one or two others, 
the State of New York was placed, in 1.779, in a very 
prosperous financial condition, at a time when it 
seemed to be on the verge of bankruptcy. The de- 
preciation of the continental paper money, had pro- 
duced alarm and distress wide-spread, and the specu- 
lations in bread-stufi's threatened a famine; yet Wil- 
liam Floyd and his associates ably steered the bark 
of state clear of the Scjdla and Charybdis. On account 
of impaired health, General Floyd asked for and ob- 
tained leave of absence from Congress, in April, 1779, 
and in May he returned to New York. He was at 
once called to his seat in the Senate, and placed upon 
the most important of those committees of that body, 
who were charged with the delicate relations with the 
General Congress. In 1780 he was again elected to 
Congress, and he continued a member of that bod}^ 
until 1783, when peace was declared. He then re- 
turned joyfully, with his family, to the home from 
which they had been exiled for seven years, and now 
miserably dilapidated. He declined a re-election to 
Congress, but served in the Legislature of his State 
until 1778, when, after the newly-adopted Constitution 
was ratified, he was elected a member of the first Con- 
gress that convened under that charter in the city of 
New York, in 1789. He declined an election the 
second time, and retired from public life. In 1784 
General Floyd purchased some wild land upon the 
Mohawk, and when he retired to private life, he com- 
menced the clearing up and cultivation of those lands. 
So productive was the soil, and so attractive was the 
beauty of that country, that in 1803 he moved thither, 
although then sixty-nine years old. In 1800 he was 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 289 

chosen a Presidential Elector; and in 1801 he was a 
delegate in the Convention that revised the Constitu- 
tion of the State of New York. He was subsequently 
chosen a member of the State Senate. He died on the 
fourth day of August; 1821, when he was eighty-seven 
years of age. His life was a long and active one ; and, 
as a thorough business man, his services proved of 
great public utility during the stormy times of the 
Kevolutiou, and the no less tempestuous and dangerous 
period when our government was settling down upon 
its present steadfast basis. 

Lewis Morris was born at Morrisania, AVestchester 
County, New York, in the year 1726. Being the 
eldest son, he inherited his father's manorial estate,"'^ 
which placed him in affluent circumstances. At the 
age of sixteen years he entered Yale College, and under 
tlie presidency of the excellent Rev. Mr. Clapp, he re- 
ceived his education. He graduated with the usual 
honors at twenty, and returned to the supervision of 
his large estate. When Great Britain oppressed her 
children here, he hardl}^ felt the unkind hand, yet his 
sympathy for others was aroused, and lie was among 
the first to risk ease, reputation and fortune, by coa- 
lescing with the patriots of Massachusetts and Virginia. 
His clear perception saw the end from the beginning, 
and those delusive hopes which the repeal of obnoxious 
acts held forth, had no power over Lewis Morris. 
Neither could they influence his patriotism, for he 
was a stranger to a vacillating, temporizing spirit. 
He refused office under the Colonial Government, for 

* At that time, the English primogenituro law prevailed in 
America, and even after the Revolution, Virginia and some 
other Stat<!:s retained it. 

25 



290 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

his domestic ease and comfort were paramount to the 
ephemeral enjoyments of place. Hence, when he for- 
sook his quiet hearth, and engaged in the party strife 
of the Revolution, hazarding fortune and friends, no 
sinister motive could be alleged for his actions, and all 
regarded him as a patriot without selfish alloy. He 
looked upon war with the mother country as in- 
evitable ; and so boldly expressed his opinion upon 
these subjects, that the still rather lukewarm Colony 
of New York did not think proper to send him as a 
delegate to the General Congress of 1774.* But the 
feelings of the people changed, and in April, 1775, 
Mr. Morris was elected a member of the second Con- 
gress that met in May following. During the summer 
of 1775, he was sent on a mission of pacification to 
the Indians on the western frontier. He was again 
elected to Congress in 177G, and when the ques- 
tion of independence came up, he boldly advocated 
the measure, although it seemed in opposition to all 
his worldly interests.f Like- the others of the New 
York delegation, he was embarrassed by the tim- 
idity of the Provincial Congress, which seemed un- 
willing to sanction a measure so widely antipodent to 
all reconciliation with Great Britain. But the coii- 

* New York was so peculiarly exposed to the attacks of the 
British fleet under Lord Howe, then hovering upon our coast, 
and so forewarned by the miseries of Boston, and the destruction 
of Falmouth, that Toryism, or loyalty to the crown, found ample 
nutriment among the people of the city. It was in the city of 
New York that the names of Whig and Tory were first applied 
to the distinctive political parties. 

t Ho plainly foresaw what actually happened — his house 
ruined, his farm wasted, his forest of a thousand acres despoiled, 
his cattle carried off, and his family driven into exile hy the in- 
vadiui,' foe. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 291 

viction of the iinal necessity of such a step, had been 
long fixed in the mind of Mr. Morris, and he did not 
for a moment falter. He voted for and signed the 
Declaration of Independence.* His family seemed to 
be imbued with his own sentiments, for three of his 
sons entered the army, served with distinction, and 
received the approbation of Congress. 

Mr. Morris relinquished his seat in the National 
Council in 1777, but he was constantly employed in 
public service in his native State, either in its legis- 
lature, or as a military commander, until the adoption 
of the Constitution. When peace was restored, he re- 
turned to his scathed and almost ruined estate. He 
died in January, 1798, in the seventy-second year of 
his age. 

William Williams. — Wales was the place of 
nativity of the ancestors of William Williams. 
They emigrated to America in 1630, and settled at 
Eoxbury, in Massachusetts. His grandfather and 
father were both ministers of the Grospel, and the lat- 
ter was for more than half a century pastor of a Con- 
gregational Society, in Lebanon, Connecticut, where 
the subject of this brief sketch was born on the eigh- 
teenth of April, 1731. He entered Harvard College 
at the age of sixteen years, and at twenty he grad- 
uated with honorable distinction. He then com- 
menced theological studies with his father ; but the 
agitations of the French War attracted his attention, 
and in 1751 he accompanied his relative, Colonel 
Ephraim Williams, in an expedition to Lake George, 

* When, in 1777, Mr. Morris left Congress and was succeeded 
by liis brother, Goiiverneur Morris, the Convention tliat elected 
the latter, adopted a vote of thanks to him for his "long and 
f;atljful services rendered to the colony of New York." 



292 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

during which the Colonel was killed. He returned 
home with settled feelings of dislike toward the British 
officers in general, who haughtily regarded the colo- 
nists as inferior men, and deserving of but little of 
their sympathy. He abandoned the study of theology, 
and entered into mercantile pursuits in Lebanon. At 
the age of twenty-five he was chosen town-clerk, 
which office he held nearly half a century. He was 
soon afterward chosen a member of the Connecticut 
Assembly, and for forty-five years he held a seat there. 
He was always present at its sessions, except Avhen 
attending to his duties in the General Congress, to 
which body he was elected a delegate in 1775. He 
was an ardent supporter of the proposition for Inde- 
pendence, and cheerfully signed the Declaration when 
it was adopted. When, in 1781, Arnold, the traitor, 
made an attack upon New London,^ Williams, who 
held the office of Colonel of Militia, hearing of the 
event, mounted his horse and rode twenty -three miles 
in three hours, but arrived only in time to see the 
town wrapped in flames. Mr. Williams was a member 
of the State Convention of Connecticut, that decided 
upon the adoption of the present Constitution of the 
United States, and voted in favor of it. His con- 
stituents were opposed to the measure, but it was not 

* Norwich, fourteen miles from New London, was the native 
place of Arnold. On the exj^edition alluded to, he first attacked 
Fort Trumbull, at the entrance of the Thames, on which New 
London stands. The garrison evacuated the fort at his approach, 
and, in imitation of the infamous Governor Tryon, of New York, 
he proceeded to lay the town in ashes. Arnold's men were 
chiefly Tories. On the same day, Fort Griswold, opposite, was 
attacked, and after its surrender, all but forty of the garrison 
were butchered in cold blood. 



ITS HTSTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 293 

long before tliey discovered their error, and applauded 
his firmness. In 1804 Colonel Williams declined a 
re-election to the Connecticut Assembly, and withdrew 
entirely from public life. His life and fortune"^ were 
both devoted to his country, and he went into domestic 
retirement with the love and veneration of his country- 
men attending him. He was married in 1772, to 
Mary, the daughter of Governor Trumbull, of Con- 
necticut, and the excellences of his character greatly 
endeared him to his family. In 1810 he lost his eldest 
son. This event powerfully shocked his already in- 
firm constitution, and he never recovered from it. His 
health gradually declined; and a short time bofore 
his death he was overcome with stupor. Having laid 
perfectly silent for four days, he suddenly called, with 
a clear voice, upon his departed son to attend his 
dying father to the world of spirits, and then expired. 

* Many instances are related of the personal sacrifices of Mr. 
Williams for liis country's good. At the commencement of the 
war he devoted himself to his country's service, and for that 
purpose he closed his mercantile business, so as not to have any 
embarrassments. In 1779, when the people had lost all confi- 
dence in the final redemption of the continental jjaper money, 
and it could not procure supplies for the army, Mr. Williams 
generously exchanged two thousand dollars in specie for it, and 
of course lost nearly the whole amount. The Count De Roch- 
amheau, with a French army, arrived at Newport during the 
summer of 1780, as allies to the Americans, but they did not 
enter into the service until the next year, and remained en- 
camj)ed in New England. Louzon, one of Rochambeau's cavalry 
officers, encamped during the winter with his legion at Lebanon, 
and Mr. Williams, in order to alloW the officers comfortable 
quarters, relinquished his own hotise to them, and moved his 
family to another. Such was the self-denial of the Fathers of 
our Republic, and such the noble examples they present. 

25* 



294 INDEPENDENCE HALL! 

He died on the second day of August, 1811, at the 
patriarchal age of eighty-one years. 

Matthew Thornton was born in Ireland, in 1714, 
and was brought to this country by his father when 
he was between two and three years of age. His 
father, when he emigrated to America, first settled at 
Wiscasset, in Maine, and in the course of a few years 
moved to Worcester, in Massachusetts, where he gave 
his son an academical education, with a view to fit him 
for one of the learned professions. Matthew chose 
the medical profession, and at the close of his prepara- 
tory studies, he commenced his business career in 
Londonderry, New Hampshire. He became eminent 
as a physician, and in the course of a few years ac- 
quired a handsome fortune. In 1745 he was appointed 
surgeon of the New Hampshire troops, and accom- 
panied them in the expedition against Louisburg.''^ 
After his return he was appointed by the royal gov- 
ernor (Wentworth) a Colonel of Militia, and also a 
Justice of the Peace. He early espoused the cause of 
the colonists, and soon, like many others^ became ob 
noxious to the governor. His popularity among the 
people was a cause of jealousy and alarm on the part 
of the chief magistrate. When the provincial gov- 
ernment of New Hampshire was organized, on the 
abdication of Governor Wentworth, Dr. Thornton 
was elected president.^ When the provincial Congress 
was organized in 1770, he Avas chosen Speaker of the 

* Louisburg was a fortress upon the island of Cape Breton, 
Nova Scotia, then in possession of the French, and was con- 
sidered one of the strongest fortifications in America. 

t This provisional government was intrusted to m.en little ex- 
perienced in political matters, and only elected for six months, 
yet they were men of nerve and prudence, and under the advice 
and direction of the Continental Concjress, thev succeeded well. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 295 

House. Ill September of the same year, he was ap- 
pointed a delegate to the Continental Congress for one 
year, and was permitted to sign his name to the Decla- 
ration of Independence, when he took his seat in No- 
vember."^'" In January, 1776 (prior to his election to 
the Continental Congress), ho was appointed a judge 
of the Superior Court of his State, having previously 
been elected a member of the Court of Common 
Pleas. In December of that year, he was again elected 
to the general Congress for one year from the twenty- 
third of January, 1777. At the expiration of the 
term he withdrew from Congress, and only engaged 
in public affairs as far as his office as judge required 
his services. He resigned his judgeship in 1782. In 
1789, Dr. Thornton purchased a farm in Exeter, where 
he resided until the time of his death, which took 
place while on a visit to his daughters in Newbury- 
port, Massachusetts, on the twenty- fourth of June, 
1803. He was then in the eighty-ninth year of his 
age. 

Stephen Hopkins was born in the town of Provi- 
dence, Ehode Island, on the seventh of March, 1707. 
His mother was the daughter of one of the Baptist 
ministers of Providence. The opportunities for ac- 
quiring education at the time of Mr. Hopkins' child- 
hood, were rare, but his vigorous intellect, in a 
measure, become a substitute for these opportunities, 
and he became self-taught, in the truest sense of the 

* Dr. Thornton was not the only one to whom the indulgence 
was granted. There were several members absent when the 
vote was taken on the adoption of that instrument on the fourth 
of July, but who, approving of. the measure, subsequently 
signed their names thereto. 



296 indepexi)p:nce hall: 

word. Mr. Hopkins was a farmer until 1781, when 
be removed to Providence and engaged in mercantile 
business. In 1732, he was chosen a representative for 
Scituate in the General Assembly, and was rechosen 
annually until 1738. He Avas again elected in 1741, 
and was chosen Speaker of tlie House of Eepresenta- 
tives. From that time until 1751, he was almost every 
year a member and speaker of the assembly. That 
year he was chosen Chief Justice of the Colony. Mr. 
Hopkins was a delegate to the Colonial Convention 
held in Albany in 1754.'" He was elected Governor 
of the Colony in 1756, and continued in that office 
almost the whole time, until 1767. During the French 
war, Governor Hopkins was very active in promoting 
the enlistment of volunteers for the service, and when 
Montcalm seemed to be sweeping all before him at the 
north, f Hopkins raised a volunteer corps, and was 
placed at its head ; but its services was not needed, 
and it was disbanded. He early opposed the oppres- 
sive acts of Great Britain, and in 1774, he held three 
offices of great responsibility, which were conferred 
upon him by the patriots — namely : Chief Justice of 
Rhode Island, representative in the Provincial Assem- 

* This Convention was called for the purpose of concerting 
measures to oppose more effectually the encroachments of the 
French settlers, and to hold a conference with the Six Nations 
of Indians. Dr. Franklin was a member of that Convention, and 
submitted a plan of union for the colonies which contained all 
the essential features of our present Constitution. 

f Montcalm was commander of the French force that invaded 
the northern portions of New York, in 1757. He was driven 
back to Canada, and was attacked by the English, under Wolfe, 
upon the Plains of Abraham, at Quebec, where he was mortally 
wounded. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 297 

bly, and delegate to the Continental Congress. At 
this time he introduced a bill into the Assembly of 
Ehode Island, to prevent the importation of slaves ; 
and, to show that his professions, on this point, were 
sincere, he manumitted all of those which belonged 
to himself In 1775, he was a member of the Com- 
mittee of Public Safety, of Ehode Island, and was 
again elected a delegate to the General Congress. He 
was re-elected in 1776, and had the privilege of sign- 
ing the glorious Declaration of Independence.* He 
was chosen a delegate to the General Assembly for 
the last time, in 1778, and was one of the committee 
who drafted the Articles of Confederation for 
the government of the States. Notwithstanding he 
was then over seventy years of age, he was exceedingly 
active, and was almost constantly a member of some 
important committee. He died on the nineteenth of 
July, 1785, in the seventy-eighth year of his age.f 

William Ellery, the colleague of Stephen Hop- 
kins, of Rhode Island, in the Continental Congress of 
1776, was born at Newport, on the twenty-second of 
December, 1727. His father paid particular attention 
to his early education, and when qualified, he placed 

* The signature of Mr. Hopkins is remarkable, and appears 
as if written by one greatly agitated by fear. But fear was no 
part of Mr. Hopkins's character. The cause of the tremulous 
appearance of his signature was a bodily iniirmity, called 
" shaking palsy," with which he had been afflicted many years. 
and which obliged him to employ an amanuensis to do his 
writing. 

f He was twice married ; the first time to Sarah Scott, a mem- 
ber of the Society of Friends Cwhose meetings Mr. Hopkins was 
a regular attendant upon through life), in 1726 ; she died in 
1753. In 1755 he married a widow, named Anna Smith. 



298 INDEPENDENCE HALL : 

him ill Harvard College, where he was distinguished 
as a close student; particularly of the Greek and Latin 
languages. He graduated in 1747, at the age of 
twenty years, with the most honorable commendations 
of the faculty. He chose the profession of the law as 
a business, and when he had completed his studies, he 
commenced practice in Newport, then one of the most 
flourishing places in the British American Colonies. 
For twenty years, Mr. Ellery practiced law success- 
fully, and acquired a fortune. When the troubles of 
the Kevolution began, and, as an active patriot,"^ he 
enjoyed the entire confidence of his fellow-citizens — 
he was called into public service. Ehode Island, 
although not so much oppressed as Massachusetts and 
New York at the beginning, was all alive with sym- 
pathy ; and the burning of the Gaspee,t in Providence 
Bay, in 1772, and the formal withdrawal of the alle- 
giance of the Province from the British crown, by an 
act of her legislature, as early as May, 1776, are an 
evidence of the deep, patriotic feeling with which her 
people were imbued. She promptly responded to the 

* The active patriotism of Mr. Ellery excited the ire of the 
British ; and when Newport was taken possession of by the 
enemy, they burnt Mr. EUery's house, and nearly all of liis pro- 
perty was destroyed. 

f The Gaspee, a British armed vessel, was, in 1772, placed in 
Providence harbor for the purpose of enforcing the revenue 
laws. The commander, like another Gesler, demanded the 
obeisance of every merchant vessel that entered by lowering 
their flags. One vessel refused, and the Gaspee gave chase. 
The merchantman so maneuvred as to cause the Gaspee to run 
aground, and before she could bo got olT, she was boarded at 
night by the crews of several boats from Providence, and all on 
board were made prisoners and sent ashore ; after which the 
Vessel was set on fire, and burned to the water's edge. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 299 

call for a general Congress, and Stephen Hopkins and 
William EUery were sent as delegates. Mr. Ellerj 
was a very active member of Congress, and on the 
second day of August, 1776, he signed the Declaration 
of Independence. 

In 1778, Mr. Ellery left Congress for a few weeks, 
and repaired to Khode Island, to assist in a plan to 
drive the British from the island." It proved abortive, 
and many of the inhabitants were reduced to great 
distress. Mr. Ellery exerted his influence in Congress, 
successfully, for their relief About the same time he 
was one of a committee to arrange some difliculties in 
which Silas Deane, and other commissioners sent to 
Europe, were involved.f He was also a member of 
another committee to arrange some difficult matters 
connected with the Admiralty courts. In each ca- 
pacity, his wisdom and sound discretion made him 
successful. In 1782, Mr. Ellery was designated by 
Congress to communicate to Major-General Greene, 
their estimate of his valuable services in the Southern 
campaigns. In 1781, he was one of a committee to 
whom the definite Treaty of Peace with Great Britain 
was referred. At this time, he was a judge of the 
Supreme Court of Ehode Island. After the new con- 

" Rliode Island was taken possession of by tlie British in 1776, 
on the very day that Washington crossed the Delaware. Tlie 
British troops were commanded by Sir Henry Clinton, and the 
squadron by Sir Peter Parker. Rhode Island remained in pos- 
session of the enemy three years. 

f Thomas Paine and others charged Mr. Deane with the crime 
of prostituting his official station to selfish purposes. The in- 
vestigation proved the falsity of the charge, yet it was aj^parent 
that Mr. Deane, in his zeal, had been very injudicious, and 
therefore he was not again sent abroad. 



300 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

stitutioii was adopted in 1788, and the new government 
was put in operation, lie was appointed collector for 
t he ])ort of Newport^ which office he retained until his 
death, which occurred on the fifteenth of February, 
1820, in the seventy-third year of his age. 

KoGER Sherman. — One of the most remarkable 
men of the Eevoliition was Eoger Sliernian. He was 
born in Newton^ Massachusetts, on the nineteenth of 
April, 1721. In 1728, the family moved to Stoning- 
ton, in that State, where they lived until the death of 
Roger's father, in 1711. Roger was then only nine- 
teen years of age, and the whole care and support of 
a large family devolved on him. lie had been ap- 
prenticed to a shoemaker, but he now took charge of 
the small farm his father left. In 1714, they sold the 
farm, and moved to New Milford, in Connecticut, 
where an elder brother, who was married, resided. 
Roger performed the journey on foot, carrying his 
shoemaker's tools with him, and for some time he 
worked industriously at his trade there. Mr. Sher- 
man's early education was exceedingly limited, but 
with a naturally strong and active mind, he acquired 
a large stock of knowledge from books, during his 
apprenticeship." Not long after he settled in New 
Milford, he formed a partnership with his brother in 
a mercantile business, but all the while was very 
studious. He turned his attention to the study of law, 

* It is said tliat wliile at work on liis bench, lie had a hook so 
phaced that he could read wlien it was not necessary for his eyes 
to he upon his work. He thus acquired a good knowledge of 
mathematics, and he made astronomical calculations for an 
almanac that was published in New York, when he was only 
twenty-seven years old. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 801 

during his leisure hours ; and so proficient did he 
become in legal knowledge, that he was admitted 
to the bar, in December, 1754.^ In 1755, Mr. Sher- 
man was elected a representative of New Milford, in 
the General Assembly of Connecticut, and the same 
year he was appointed a Justice of the Peace. After 
practicing law about five years, he was, in 1759, ap- 
pointed Judge of the County Court for Litchfield 
County. He moved to New Haven in 1761, when the 
same appointments were conferred upon him, and in 
addition, he was chosen treasurer of Yale College, 
from which institution, in 1765, he received the hon- 
orary degree of A. M. In 1766, he was elected to the 
senate, or upper house of the Legislature of Connecti- 
cut ; and it was at this time that the passage of the 
Stamp Act was bringing the politicians of America to 
a decided stand in relation to the repeated aggressions 
of Great Britain. Koger Sherman fearlessly took part 
with the patriots, and was a leader among them in 
Connecticut, until the war broke out. He was elected 
a delegate from Connecticut to the Continental Con- 
gress, in 1774, and was present at the opening on the 
fifth of September. He was one of the most active 
members of that body, and was appointed on the 
Committee to prepare a draft of a Declaration of In- 
dependence ; a document to which he affixed his signa- 
ture with hearty good-will, after it was adopted by 
Congress. Although his duties in Congress, during 
the war, were almost incessant, yet he was at the same 
time a member of the Committee of Safety of Con- 

* Mr. Sherman had no instructor or guide in the study of the 
law, neither had he any hooks hut such as he horrowed, yet he 
hecame one of the most profound jurists of his day. 

26 



302 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

necticut. In 1783, he was appointed, with Judge Law, 
of New London, to revise the statutes of the State, in 
which service he showed great ability. He was a 
delegate from Connecticut in the Convention in 1787, 
that framed the present Constitution of the United 
States ; and he was a member of the State Convention 
of Connecticut which assembled to act upon the rati- 
fication of that instrument. For two years after the 
organization of the government under the Constitu- 
tion, he was a member of the United States House of 
Eepresentatives. He was then promoted to the Senate, 
whicli office he filled at the time of his death, which 
took place on the twenty-third of July, 1798, in the 
seventy-third year of his age. He had previously 
been elected mayor of New Haven, when it was in- 
vested with city powers and privileges, and that office 
he held until the time of his death.'-^ 

* ^e was twicp married: t|ie first time to Elizabeth Hartwell, 
of Stougliton, and the second time to Rebecca Prescott, of 
Danvers. By his first wife he had seven children, and eight by 
]iis last. 



ITS HISTOEY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 303 



CHAPTEK XXXIV. 

GEORGE WYTHE — EICHAED HENEY LEE — BENJAMIN 
HAEEISON — THOMAS NELSON — FEANCIS LIGHTFOOT 
LEE— CAETEE BEAXTON. 

Om7ii exceptione major. 
Superior to all exception. 

Geoege Wythe was one of Yirginia's most dia- 
tiiiguished sons. He was born in the year 1726, in 
Elizabeth County, and being the child of wealthy 
parents, he had every opportunity given him which 
the colony afforded for acquiring a good education. 
His father died when he was quite young, and his 
education and moral training devolved upon his mo- 
ther, a woman of superior abilities. She was very 
proficient in the Latin language, and she aided him 
much in the study of the classics. But before he was 
twenty-one years of age, death deprived him of her 
guidance and instruction ; and he was left at that 
early period of life with a large fortune and the entire 
control of his own actions. His character not having 
become fixed, he launched out upon the dangerous 
sea of pleasure and dissipation ; and for ten years of 
the morning of his life he laid aside study and sought 
only personal gratification. When about thirty years 
of age a sudden change was wrought in him, and he 
forsook the places of revelry and the companionship 
of the thoughtless and gay, and resumed the studies 



304 INDEPEN-DENCE HAl.L : 

of his youth with all the ardor of one anxious to 
make up lost time. He mourned over his misspent 
days, even in his old age, which was clustered round 
with honors, and he felt intensely the truth of the 
assertion that "time once lost, is lost forever." He 
was admitted to the bar in 1757, and rose rapidly to 
eminence, not only as an able advocate, but as a 
strictly conscientious one. For several years prior to 
the Revolution, Mr. Wythe was a member of the 
Virginia House of Burgesses ; and wheu the Stamp 
Act aroused the patriotic resistance of the people, he 
stood shoulder to shoulder in that Assembly with 
Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, Peyton Randolph 
and others, who were distinguished as leaders in legis- 
lation, when the storm of the War of Independence 
burst upon the land. In 1775, Mr. Wythe was elected 
a delegate to the General Congress, and was there in 
1776, when his colleague, Mr. Lee, submitted his bold 
resolution for independence. He steadfastly promoted 
every measure tending toward, such a result, and he 
voted for and signed the Declaration of Independence. 
In 1786, Mr. Wythe was chosen a delegate to the 
National Convention that framed the Federal Consti- 
tution. He was also a member of the Virginia con- 
vention called to consider its adoption, and was twice 
chosen a United States Senator under it. Mr. Wythe 
was a man of great perseverance and industry, kind 
and benevolent to the utmost ; was strict in his integ- 
rity, sincere in every word, faithful in every trust; 
and his life presents a striking example of the force 
of good resolution triumphing over the seductions of 
pleasure and vice, and the attainments which perse- 
vering and virtuous toil will bring to the practician 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 305 

of these necessary ingredients for tlie establishment 
of an honorable reputation, and in the labors of a 
useful life. Mr. Wythe was twice married, but he left 
no offspring — an only child, by his first wife, having 
died in infancy. Mr. Wythe died on the eighth of 
June, 1800, aged 81 years. 

EiCHARD Henry Lee was born in the county of 
Westmoreland, Virginia, on the twentieth day of 
January, 1732, within a month of time, and within a 
few miles space, of the great and good Washington. 
According to the fashion of the time in the " Old 
Dominion," his father sent him to England, at an early 
age, to be educated. He was placed in a school at 
Wakefield, in Yorkshire, where he soon became marked 
as a thoughtful and industrious student. Young Lee 
returned to Virginia when nearly nineteen years of 
age, and there applied himself zealously to literary 
pursuits. His love of activity led him to the forma- 
tion of a military corps, to the command of which he 
was elected;, and when Braddock arrived from En- 
gland, on an expedition against the French and Indians 
upon the Ohio, Mr. Lee presented himself there, and 
tendered the services of himself and his volunteers, 
to the British general. The haughty Braddock re- 
fused to accept the services of those plain volunteers, 
deeming the disciplined troops whom he brought with 
him quite sufficient to drive the invading Frenchmen 
from the F^nglish domain. 

Mr. Lee fearlessly expressed liis sentiments of repro- 
bation of the course pursued by the British Govern- 
ment toward the colonies, and he organized the first 
association in Virginia for opposing British oppression 
in that colony, when it came in the form of tho 
26* 



306 INDEPENDENCE HALL I 

" Stamp Act." Mr. Lee was one of the first " Com- 
mittee of Correspondence"'" appointed in Virginia in 
1778, and be was greatly aided in the acquirement of 
knowledge respecting the secret movements and opin- 
ions of the British Parliament, by frequent letters 
from his brother, Arthur Lee, who was a distinguished 
literary character in London, and an associate with the 
leading men of the realm. He furnished him with 
the earliest political intelligence; and it was generally 
so correct, that the Committees of Correspondence in 
other colonies always received, without doubt, any 
information which came from the Virginia Committee. 
Through this secret channel of correct intelligence^ 
Eichard Henry Lee very early learned that nothing 
short of absolute political independence would proba- 
bly arrest the progress of British oppression and mis- 
rule in America. Hence, while other men thought 
timidly of independence, and regarded it merely as a 
possibility of the distant future, Mr. Lee looked upon 
it as a measure that must speedily be accomplished, 
and his mind and heart were prepared to propose it 
whenever expediency should favor the movement. 
Mr. Lee was a delegate in the Congress of 1776, and 
on the seventh day of June of that year, pursuant to 
the dictates of his own judgment and feelings, and 
in obedience to the express instructions of the Assem- 
bly of Virginia, he introduced the resolution for a 
total separation from the mother country. f The con- 

* To Mr. Lee is doubtless due the credit of first suggesting the 
system of "Committees of Correspondence," although Vir- 
ginia and Massachusetts both claim the honor of publicly pro- 
posing the measure first. 

t The resolution was as follows: — '^ liesolvcd, That these 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 307 

sideration of the resolution was made the special order 
of the day, for the first Monday in July, and a com- 
mittee, of which Thomas Jefferson was chairman, was 
appointed to draw up a Declaration of Independence."^ 
This document was presented to Congress on the first 
day of July ; and after several amendments made in 
committee of the whole, it was adopted on the fourth, 
by the unanimous votes of the thirteen United Colo- 
nies. His last days were crowned with all the honor 
and reverence which a grateful people could bestow 
upon a benefactor, and when death cut his his thread 
of life, a nation truly mourned. He sunk to his final 
rest on the nineteenth day of June, ITO-i, in the sixty- 
fourth year of his age. 

Benjamin Hakrison was born in Berkley, in Vir- 
ginia, but the exact time of his birth is not certainly 
known. His ancestors were among the earlier settlers 
of that colony, having emigrated thither from England 
in the year 1640. The subject of this sketch was 
placed by his father in the college of William and Mary, 
with a view of giving him a thorough classical educa- 

United Colonies arc, and of riglit ought to be, free and indepen- 
dent States ; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the 
British Crown ; and that all political connection between them 
and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dis- 
solved." 

* The Committee consisted of Thomas Jefferson, Dr. Franklin, 
John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. It may 
be asked, why was not Mr. Lee, by common courtesy at least, 
put upon that committee, and designated its chairman ? The 
reason was, that on the very day he offered the resolution, an 
express arrived from Virginia, informing him of the illness of 
some of his family, which caused him to ask leave of absence, 
and he immediately started for home. He was therefore absent 
from Congress when the committee was formed. 



308 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

tion. He was there at the time of his father^s decease, 
which was sudden and awful.^ Being the eldest of 
six sons, the management of the estate of his father de- 
volved on him at his decease ; and, although then a 
minor, he performed his duties with great fidelity and 
skill. Young Harrison, at a very early age, became a 
member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, in 1764, 
where his talents and sound judgment won for him 
the confidence and esteem of all parties. He was soon 
elected Speaker, and became one of the most influen- 
tial men in that Assembly, where he occupied a seat 
during the greater part of his life. His great wealth, 
distinguished family connections, and personal worth, 
attracted the attention of the royal governor, who, de- 
sirous of retaining him on the side of the government, 
when the political agitations caused by the Stamp Act 
took place, offered him a seat in the executive council. 
But he had narrowly watched the gradual develop- 
ment of events, and he was convinced that a systematic 
scheme for enslaving the colonies was being matured by 
the liome government. He therefore rejected the offer 
of the governor, boldly avowed his attachment to the 
republican cause, and joined with the patriotic burgesses 
of Virginia in their opposition to the oppressive acts 
of the British government. 

Mr. Harrison was one of the first seven delegates from 
Virginia to the Continental Congress of 1774, and he 
had the gratification of seeing Peyton Eandolph, a very 
near relative, and his colleague from Virginia, elected 



* This venerable man, and two of his four daughters, were 
instantly struck dead by lightning, during a violent thunder 
storm, in their mansion house at Berkley. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 309 

president of that august body. Mr. Harrison was con- 
stantly employed in active service, and was always 
among the first in advocating decisive and energetic 
measures. He was warmly in favor of independence, 
and when that great question Avas under discussion in 
committee of the whole, he was in the chair. He voted 
for the Declaration of Independence, on the fourth of 
July, 1776, and signed it on the second of August fol- 
lowing^. 

In 1782, Mr. Harrison was elected governor of the 
State, and he managed public affairs at that trying 
time, with great ability and firmness. He was gov- 
ernor two successive terms, and then retired to private 
life. But he was almost immediately elected a mem- 
ber of the House of Burs^esses, and as-ain resumed the 
Speaker's chair, by election. Mr. Harrison was again 
elected governor in 1791, and the day after his election 
he invited a party of friends to dine with him. He 
had been suffering a good deal from gout in the stomach, 
but had nearly recovered. That night he experienced 
a relapse, and the next day death ended his sufferings. 
This event occurred in April, 1791. Mr. Harrison 
was married in early life, to a niece of Mrs. Wash- 
ington, Miss Elizabeth Bassett, Avho lived but one year 
after her husband's decease. They had a numerous 
offspring, but only seven lived to mature age. One of 
them was the venerated William Henr^^ Hari'ison, late 
President of the United States in 1840-1, 

Thomas Nelson was born at Yorktown, in Virgmia, 
on the twenty -sixth of December, 1738. His father, 
William Nelson, was a native of England, and emi- 
grated to America about the beginning of the last cen- 
tury. By prudence and industry he accumulated a 



310 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

large fortune, and held rank among the first families 
of Virginia. Thomas was the oldest son of his parents ; 
and his father, in conformity to the fashion of the times 
among the opulent of that province, sent him to En- 
gland at the age of fourteen years to be educated. He 
was placed in a distinguished private school not far 
from London, and after completing a preparatory 
course of studies there, he went to Cambridge and was 
entered a member of Trinity College. He there en- 
joyed the private instructions of the celebrated Dr. 
ProteuS; afterward the Bishop of London. He re- 
mained there, a close and diligent student until 17G1, 
when he returned to America. Mr. Nelson watched 
with much interest the movements of the British Par- 
liament, during and after the time of the administration 
of Mr. Grenville,'" and his sympathies were keenly 
alive in favor of the Americans and their cause. His 
first appearance in public life was in 1774, when he 
was elected a member of the House of Burgesses of 
Virginia, and there he took side with the patriots. It 
was during that session, that the resolutions reprobat- 
ing the "Boston Port Bill," caused Lord Dunmore, 
the royal governor of Virginia, to dissolve the Assem- 
bly. Eighty-nine of the members, among whom was 
Mr. Nelsoii; met the next day at a neighboring tavern, 
and formed an association far more efficient in throwing 

* George Grenville, the Prime Minister of England in 1765, 
Wcas the cauthor of tlie Stamp Act. He is represented as an hon- 
est, but short-sighted politician ; and the Stamp Act was doubt- 
less more an error of his head than of his heart. He saw an 
empty treasury, with large demands upon it waiting to be satis- 
fied, and he thought to replenish it by taxing the American 
colonies. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATION'S. 311 

up tlie strong bulwarks of freedom, than was the regular 
Assembly. 

In the spring of 1775 he was elected a member of 
another general convention, and during its debates he 
displayed such boldness of spirit, that he was looked 
upon as an efficient leader in the patriotic movements 
of the day. Much to the alarm of his friends, he pro- 
posed, in that convention, the bold and almost treason- 
able measure of organizing the militia of the State for 
the defense of the chartered rights of the people. 
Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, and others, wsirmly 
seconded the proposition, and it was adopted by the 
convention.''^ This act told Governor Dunmore and 
his royal master, in language that could not be mis- 
taken, that Virginia was determined to exercise with 
freedom all the privileges guarantied to her by the 
British Constitution.f In August, 1774, the Yirginia 
convention elected Mr. l^elson a delegate to the Gen- 
eral Congress, and he took his seat in September. 
There he was very active, and gave such entire satis- 
faction to his constituents that he was unanimously re^ 
elected for 1776. Although he seldom took part in 
the debates, he was assiduous and efficient in com- 
mittee duty. He was a zealous supporter of the pro- 

^ Mr. Nelson was appointed to the command of one regiment, 
Patrick Henry of another, and Richard Henry Lee of another, 
each holding the rank of colonel. 

f It was not long before the wisdom of these military move- 
ments became apparent, for the royal governor of Virginia, as 
well as those of some of the other colonies, attempted to secure 
the powder and other munitions of war in the public magazines, 
under a secret order from the British ministry. This movement 
clearly divulged the premeditated design of disarming the peor 
pic, and reducing tliom to slavery, 



812 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

position for independence, und voted for and signed the 
declaration thereof 

In 1781, Virgjinia became the chief theatre of war- 
like operations. The traitor Arnold, and General 
Phillips with a small flotilla, ravaged the coasts and 
ascended the rivers on predatory excursions; and 
Cornwallis, from southern fields of strife, marched 
victoriously over the lower counties of the State. 
About this time, the term of Mr. Jefierson's official 
duties as Governor of the State expired, and General 
JSTelson was elected his successor. This, however, did 
not drive him from the field, but as both governor and 
commander-in-chief of the militia of the State,* he 
placed himself at the head of a considerable force, and 
formed a junction with La Fayette, who had been 
sent there to check the northward progress of Corn- 
wallis. By great personal exertions and a liberal use 
of his own funds,-!- he succeeded in keeping his force 

* The active Colonel Tarleton, of the British army, made 
every elTort to effect the capture of the Legislature of Virginia. 
He succeeded in getting some into his custody ; and so irregular 
became their meetings, in consequence of being frequently 
obliged to disperse and flee for personal safety, that they passed 
an act which placed the government of the State in the hands 
of the governor and his council. The council, too, being scat- 
tered, General Nelson had the whole responsibility laid upon 
his shoulders ; and in the exercise of his individual powers, he 
was compelled, by the exigencies of the times, to do some things 
that were not strictly legal ; but the Legislature subsequently 
legalized all his acts. 

t Mr. Nelson made many and great pecuniary sacrifices for his 
country. When, in 1780, the French fleet was hourly expected, 
Congress felt it highly necessary that provision should be made 
for them. But its credit was prostrate, and its calls upon the 
States were tardily responded to. Virginia proposed to raise two 
millions of dollars, and Mr. Nelson at once opened asubsciiittinn 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 313 

together until the capture of Cornwallis at Yorktown. 
He headed a body of militia in the siege of that place, 
and although he owned a fine mansion in the town, 
he did not hesitate to bombard it."^ In this, as in 
every thing else, his patriotism was conspicuous ; and 
General Washington, in his official account of the siege, 
made honorable mention of the great services of Gov- 
ernor Nelson and his militia. 

"Within a month after the battle of Yorktown, Gov- 
ernor Nelson, finding his health declining, resigned 
his office and retired to private life. He never again 
appeared in public life, but spent the remainder of 
his days alternately at his mansion in Yorktown, and 
his estate at Offiy. His health gradually declined 
until 1789, when, on the fourth day of January, his 
useful life closed. He was in the fifty-third year of 
his age. 

Francis Lightfoot Lee, a younger brother of 
Eichard Henry Lee, was born in Westmoreland 

list. But many wealthy men told Mr. Nelson that they would 
not contribute a penny on the security of the Commonwealth, 
hut they would lend him all he wanted. He at once added his 
personal security. 

- During the siege he observed that while the Americans 
poured their shot and shells thick and fast into every jjart of 
the town, they seemed carefully to avoid firing in the direction 
of his house. Governor Nelson inquired why his house was 
spared, and was informed that it was out of personal regard for 
him. He at once begged them not to make any difference on 
that account, and at once a well-directed fire was opened upon 
it. At that moment a number of British officers occupied it, 
and were at dinner enjoying a feast, and making merry with 
wine. The shots of the Americans entered the house, and kill- 
ing two of the officers, effectually ended the conviviality of the 
party. 

27 



314 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

County, Virginia, on the fourteenth da}' of October, 
1784. He was too young when his father died to be 
sent abroad to be educated, but was favored with every 
advantage in the way of learning which the colony 
afforded. He was placed at an early age under the 
care of the Eev. Dr. Craig, a Scotch clergyman of 
eminent piety and learning. His excellent tutor 
not only educated his head but his heart, and laid 
the foundation of character, upon whicli the noble 
superstructure, which his useful life exhibited, was 
reared. On the return of Hichard Henry Lee from 
England, whither he had been to acquire a thorough 
education, Francis, who was then just stepping from 
youth into manhood, was deeply impressed wdth his 
various acquirements and polished manners, and 
adopted him as a model for imitation. He leaned upon 
his brother's judgment in all matters, and the senti- 
ments which moved the one impelled the other to 
action. And when his brother with his sweet voice 
and persuasive manner, endeavored by popular har- 
angues, to arouse his friends and neighbors to a sense 
of the impending danger, which act after act of British 
oppression shadowed forth, Francis caught his spirit ; 
and when he was old enough to engage in the strife 
of politics, he was a full-fledged patriot, and with a 
"pure heart and clean hands" he espoused the cause 
of freedom. In 1765 Mr. Lee was elected a member 
of the Virginia House of Burgesses, for Loudon 
County, while his brother was member of the same 
House, for Westmoreland County. By annual election, 
he continued a member of the Virginia Assembly for 
Loudon, until 1772, wdien he married the daughter of 
Colonel Jolin Taylor, of Richmond, and moved to 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 315 

that city. He was at once elected a member for Rich- 
mond; and continued to represent that county until 
1775; when the Virginia Convention elected him a 
delegate to the Continental Congress. During his 
whole term of service in the General Assembly of his 
State, he always acted in concert with the patriotic 
burgesses. Mr. Lee was not a fluent speaker, and 
seldom engaged in debate; but his sound judgment, 
unwavering principles, and persevering industry, made 
him a useful member of any legislative assembly. He 
sympathized with his brother in his yearnings for in- 
dependence ; and it was with great joy that he voted 
for and signed the instrument which declared his 
country free. 

Mr. Lee continued in CongresSj until 1779, and was 
the member, for Virginia, of the committee which 
framed the Articles of Confederation. Possessed of 
ample wealth, he used it like a philosopher and a 
Christian in dispensing its blessings for the benefit of 
his country and his fellow-men. In April, 1797, 
he was prostrated by an attack of pleurisy, which 
terminated his life in the course of a few days. He 
was in the sixty-third year of his age. His wife was 
attacked by the same disease, and died a few days after 
the decease of her husband. 

Carter Braxton was born at Newington, in King 
and Queen's County, Virginia, on the tenth of Sep- 
tember, 1736. His father, George Braxton, was a 
wealthy farmer, and highly esteemed among the 
planters of Virginia. His mother was the daughter 
of Robert Carter, who, for a time, was president of 
the royal council of that State. They both died while 
Carter and his brother George were quite young. 



316 INDEPENDENCE HALL*. 

Carter Braxton was educated at the college of Wil- 
liam and Mary, and at tlie age of nineteen years, on 
leaving that institution, he was married to Miss Judith 
Kobinson, the daughter of a wealthy planter in Mid- 
dlesex County. His own large fortune was consid- 
erably augmented by this marriage, and he was 
considered one of the wealthiest men in his native 
county * In 1757, Mr. Braxton went to England, for 
the purpose of self-improvement and personal gratifi- 
cation. He remained there until 1760, when he re- 
turned to America, and soon afterward married the 
daughter of Mr. Corbin, the royal receiver-general of 
the customs of Virginia.^ Notwithstanding the social 
position, and patrician connections of Mr. Braxton, 
which Avould seem naturally to have attached him to 
the aristocracy, he was among the earliest in Virginia 
who raised the voice of patriotism. In 1765 he was a 
member of the House of Burgesses. How much earlier 
he appeared in public life is not known. He was 
present when Patrick Henry's resolutions respecting 
the Stamp Act, were introduced, and was one of those 
who, fired by the wonderful eloquence of the orator 
on that occasion, boldly voted in support of them.:]: 
Mr. Braxton was a member of the Virginia Conven- 

* His wife died at the time of the birth of lier second child, 
when she was not quite twenty-one years of age. 

t Mr. Braxton had a large family by his second wife. She 
was the mother of sixteen children. 

t The eloquence of Henry on that occasion, fell like suc- 
cessive thunderbolts on the ears of the timid Assembly. ''It 
was in the midst of the magnificent debate on these resolutions," 
says Mr. Wirt, "while he was descanting on the tyranny of the 
obnoxious Act, that he exclaimed, in a voice of thunder, and 
with the look of a god — ' C?esar had his Brutus, Charles the 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 317 

tion ill 1769, when Lord Botetourt, one of the best 
disposed royal governors that ever ruled in Virginia, 
suddenly dissolved it, in consequence of some acts 
therein which he deemed treasonable. Mr. Braxton 
was one of the members who immediately retired to a 
private room and signed a non-importation agreement. 
Lord Botetourt died toward the close of 1770, and was 
succeeded by Lord Dunmore, a man of very defective 
judgment and unyielding disposition, whose unpop- 
ular management greatly increased the spirit of oppo- 
sition to royal misrule in Virginia. During the in- 
terval between the death of Botetourt and the arrival 
of Dunmore, Mr. Braxton held the office of high sheriff 
of the county where he resided, but he refused to hold 
it under the new governor. He was one of the eighty- 
nine members of the Assembly who, on the dissolution 
thereof by Governor Dunmore, in the summer of 1774, 
recommended a general convention of the people of 
Virginia, to meet at Williamsburg. They did so, and 
elected delegates to the Continental Congress, which 
met in Philadelphia on the fourth of the month follow- 
ing. Mr. Braxton was a member of that convention. 
AVhen, in 1777, the attempt of Lord Dunmore to take 
the ammunition from the public magazines on board 
the Fowey ship-of-war, then lying oft* Williamsburg, 
excited the people to the highest pitch, and threatened 

First liis Cromwell — and Greorge tlie Third' — 'Treason!' cried 
the Speaker — 'Treason, treason,' echoed from every part of the 
House. It was one of those trying moments which are decisive 
of character. Henry faltered not for an instant ; hut rising to a 
loftier altitude, and fixing on the Speaker an eye of the most 
determined fire, he finished the sentence with the firmest em- 
phasis — ' and George the Third — may profit hy their example. 
If that be treason, make the most of it.' " 
27* 



318 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

open rebellion and armed resistance,^" Mr. Braxton, by 
a wise and prudent course, succeeded in quelling tbe 
disturbance, and in bringing about sucli an arrange- 
ment as quite satisfied tbe people, and probably saved 
the town from destruction. f In December, 1775, he 
was chosen a delegate to the Continental Congress to 
fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of Peyton 
Kandolph. He took an active part in favor of inde- 
pendence, and voted for and signed the Declaration. 
He remained in Congress during only one session, and 
then resumed his seat in the Virginia Legislature, 
where he continued with but little interruption, until 
1785. In 1786 he was appointed a member of the 
council of the State, and held that station until 1791. 
He was elected to the same ofiice in 1794, where he 
continued until within four days of his death. This 
event, which was occasioned by paralysis, occurred on 
the tenth day of October, 1797, when he was in the 
sixty -first year of his age. 

* Patrick Henry put liimself at the head of a military com- 
pany, and marched toward Williamsburg, to demand from Lord 
Dunmore the return of the powder. His company rapidly aug- 
mented in numbers as he approached the town, and he entered 
it at the head of an overwhelming force. The governor, finding 
resistance vain, finally agreed to pay for the powder, and was 
then allowed quietly to retire with his family on board the ship- 
of-war in the river. 

f The captain of the Fowey had declared his intention to fire 
upon and destroy the town, if the governor should experience 
any personal violence, and he placed the broadside of his vessel 
parallel with the shore, and shotted his guns for the purpose. 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 319 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

EDWARD RUTLKDGE— THOMAS HAYWARD— THOMAS 
LYNCH, JR. — ARTHUR MIDDLETON. 

Edward Rutledge, whose name Ave find first 
among the patriotic delegates from Soutli Carolina 
Avho signed the Declaration of Independence, was 
born at Charleston, in Xovember, 1749, and was the 
youngest of a family of seven children. After re- 
ceiving a good English and classical education, young 
Eutledge commenced the study of law with his elder 
brother, John, who was then a distinguished member 
of the Ciiarleston bar. As a finishing stroke in his 
legal education, preparatory to his admission to the 
bar, he was sent to England at the age of twenty, and 
entered as a student at the Inner Temple, London, 
where he had an opportunit}^ of witnessing the foren- 
sic eloquence of those master spirits of the times, 
Mansfield, Wedderburn, Thurlow, Dunning, Chatham, 
and Camden. He returned to Charleston about the 
close of 1772, was admitted to the bar, and commenced 
practice early in 1773. Mr. Rutledge, though young, 
had watched with much interest the political move- 
ments of the day, and when old enough to act as well 
as think, he took a decisive stand on the side of tlie 
patriots, This, together with the distinguished talents 
which he manifested on his first appearance at the 



320 INDEPENDENCE HALL : 

bar, drew toward him the attention of the public mind, 
when the Massachusetts Circular aroused the people 
to vigorous action. Although then only twenty-five 
years of age, the Convention of South Carolina elected 
him a delegate to the first General Congress, and he 
was present at the opening, on the fifth of September, 
1774. There he was active and fearless, and receiving 
the entire approbation of his constituents, he was re- 
elected in 1775, and 1776; and when, preparatory to 
the consideration of the subject of absolute indepen- 
dence. Congress, by resolution, recommended the 
several Colonies to form permanent governments, Mr. 
Rutledge was associated with Richard Henry Lee 
and John Adams, in preparing the prefatory preamble 
to the recommendation. He was warmly in favor of 
independence, and fearlessly voted for the Declaration, 
notwithstanding there were large numbers of people 
in his State opposed to it, some through timidity, some 
through self-interest, and some through, decided attach- 
ment to the royal cause. When, during the summer 
of 1776, Lord Howe came commissioned to prosecute 
the war or negotiate for peace, Mr. Rutledge was ap- 
pointed one of a committee with Dr. Franklin and 
John Adams, to meet him in conference upon Staten 
Island. The commissioners were instructed not to 
enter upon negotiations for peace, except in the capa- 
city of representatives of free States, and having inde- 
pendence as a basis. As Lord Howe could not thus 
receive them, or listen to such proposals, the confer- 
ence, as was anticipated, failed to produce any im- 
portant results. Mr. Rutledge took up arms, and was 
placed at the head of a corps of artillery. In 1780, 
while Charleston was invested by the enemy, he was 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 821 

active in affording succor to General Lincoln, then 
within the besieged city. In one of these operations, 
in attempting to throw troops into the city, he was 
taken prisoner, and was afterward sent captive to St. 
Augustine in Florida. He remained a prisoner nearly 
a year, and was then exchanged and set at liberty. It 
was a gloomy time for the patriots, and the stoutest 
hearts began to quail. The bulk of the southern 
army, under Lincoln, had been made prisoners. - But 
still hope did not quite expire, and tlie successes of 
Greene, and the victories of Marion and Sumpter, re- 
animated the fainting hearts of the republicans. After 
the British evacuated Charleston in 1781, Mr. Eut- 
ledge retired, and resumed the practice of his pro- 
fession ; and for about seventeen years, his time was 
alternately employed in the duties of his business and 
service in the Legislature of his State. In the latter 
capacity he uniformly opposed every proposition for 
extending the evils of slavery. In 1794, Mr. Rut- 
ledge was elected to the United States Senate, to sup- 
ply the vacancy caused by the resignation of Charles 
Cotesworth Pinckney; and in 1798, he was elected 
Governor of his native State. But he did not live to 
serve out his official term. He had suffered much 
from hereditary gout, and on returning to Charleston 
after the adjournment of the Legislature, which sat at 
Columbia, he caught a severe cold, that brought on a 
paroxysm of his disease and terminated his life on the 
twenty-third day of January, in the year 1800. He 
was in the sixtieth year of his age. 

Thomas Haywakd was born in St. Luke's parish, 
South Carolina, in the year 1 746. His father. Colonel 
Dame Hay ward was one of the wealthiest planters in 



822 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

the Province, and fully appreciating tbe advantages 
of education, be placed liis son Thomas in the best 
classical school in that reofion. He was a thouo;htful 
and industrious student ; and so readily did he master 
the Latin, that he read with fluency the works of the 
Eoman historians and poets, in that language. As 
soon as young Hay ward had completed his prepara- 
tory studies, he entered as a student the law office of 
Mr. Parsons, a barrister of considerable eminence io 
South Carolina, at that time. Having accomplished 
his ta^k well, his ftither sent him to England at the 
age of about twenty years, to finish his legal educa- 
tion there. While in England, Mr. Hay ward became 
deeply impressed with the injustice of the prevailing 
feeling there, that a colonial British subject was quite 
inferior to the native-born Englishman, and should be 
treated as such. Such was the sentiment of society, 
and upon this sentiment the government seemed to 
act, by appointing to office in the colonies few but 
natives of the British Islands ; and in its carelessness 
of the rights and privileges of the colonists, they 
were not equally protected by the broad segis of the 
British Constitution. These things, even at that early 
age, alienated his affection from the mother country, 
and he returned to his native land with mortified feel- 
ings, and a heartfelt desire to free it from the bondage 
of transatlantic rule. Soon after his return, Mr. Hay- 
ward entered upon the practice of his profession. He 
married a most amiable and accomplished young lady, 
named Matthews ; and witli a sedateness and energy 
of purpose, rare at his age, he commenced his career 
of usefulness. He was among the earliest in South 
Carolina who resisted the oppressive measures of the 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 323 

Home Government, and from the passage of the Stamp 
Act until the battle of Lexington, he consistently and 
zealously promoted the patriot cause, ever repudiating 
the degrading terms of conciliation — absolute submis- 
sion — which the British Government demanded. The 
openness and manly frankness with which he espoused 
the patriot cause, made him a leader in the revolu- 
tionary movements in that Province, and he was 
placed in the first General Assembly, that organized 
after the abdication of the colonial governor. He was 
also appointed a member of the first " Committee of 
Safet}^" there. In 1775, Mr. Hay ward Avas chosen a 
delegate to the General Congress. He at first modestly 
declined the honor, but being waited upon personally 
by a deputation of the people, he complied, and took 
his seat early in 1776. He warmly supported Mr. 
Lee's motion for absolution from British rule, when 
brought forward in June of that year, and he joyfully 
voted for and signed the Declaration of Independence. 
He remained in Congress until 1778, when he ac- 
cepted the appointment of Judge of the criminal and 
civil courts of South Carolina. This acceptance, and 
his previous offense in signing the Declaration, made 
him very obnoxious to the enemy, and great efforts 
were made, through the treacherous tories, to get pos- 
session of his person. Mr. Hayward held a military 
commission while he was Judge, and he was in active 
service, with Edward Rutledge, in the skirmish with 
the enemy at Beaufort, in 1780. In that skirmish he 
received a gun-shot wound, which scarred him for life. 
When, soon after, Charleston was captured by Sir 
Ilenrj^ Clinton and Admiral Arbuthnot, Mr. Hayward 
was taken prisoner, and it was generally believed that 



324 INDEPENDENCE HALL : 

he would be excluded from the terms of capitulation, 
as an arch-traitor. This, however, was not the case, 
and he was sent, with Mr. Kutledge and others, to St. 
Augustine, in Florida, where he remained nearly a 
year. On his return to South Carolina, Judge Hay- 
ward resumed his seat upon the bench, and was ac- 
tively engaged in his judicial duties until 1798. He 
was a member of the convention of his State, which 
framed its constitution in 1790. Having again mar- 
ried an amiable lady, by the name of Savage, he 
coveted the retirement and happiness of domestic life, 
from which he had been so long an exile; and in 1799 
he withdrew entirely from public life, and in the 
bosom of his family he bore the honor which a 
nation's gratitude conferred, and there calmly awaited 
the summons for another world. His death took 
place in March, 1809, when he whs sixtj^-three years 
of age. 

Thomas Lynch, Junioe, was born in Prince 
George's parish, upon the North Santee Eiver, South 
Carolina, on the fifth day of August, 1749. lie was 
sent to England, to be educated, at the age of thirteen 
years. He had previously received a good academical 
education, at Georgetown, in South Carolina. In En- 
gland he was placed in Eton School, that seminary of 
preparation for higher instruction, in which, for a long- 
period, many eminent men were educated. After 
completing his preparatory studies there, he entered 
the University of Cambridge, where he took his de- 
gree, and he left the institution bearing the highest 
respect of the tutors, because of his studious and vir- 
tuous career while there. On leaving Cambridge, 
young Lynch entered upon the study of the law in 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATION'S. 325 

one of the inns of tlie Temple, wherC; by close appli- 
cation, he became a finished lawyer at the close of his 
studies. He there became acquainted with some of 
the leading politicians of the day^ and acquired a 
pretty thorough knowledge of the movements of the 
g^overnment. And when he heard the murmur of dis- 
content come from his native land, and listened to the 
haughty tone of British statesmen, when speaking of 
the Colonies, he felt an irrepressible desire to return 
home. He obtained permission of his father, and 
reached South Carolina in 1772. He soon afterv/ard 
married a beautiful young lady, named Shubrick, be- 
tween whom and himself a mutual attachment had 
existed from childhood. This tender relation and the 
possession of an ample fortune, were calculated to wed 
him to the ease and enjoyments of domestic life; but 
young Lynch had caught the spirit of his patriotic father, 
and he stood up, like a strong young oak, to breast 
the storm of the Eevolution, then gathering black on 
every side. Mr. Lynch's first appearance in public 
life, was at a town-meeting called in Charleston in 
1773, to consider the injuries Grreat Britain was in- 
flicting on her colonies. He addressed the numerous 
assemblage with a patriotic eloquence that won their 
hearts, and the people at once looked upon him as an 
efficient instrument in working out the freedom of his 
country. They elected him by acclamation to many 
civil offices of trust; and when the first provincial 
regiment was raised in South Carolina, in 1775, a 
captain's commission was offered to Mr. Lynch, which 
he accepted. He raised a company and joined his 
regiment, but a few days afterward, intelligence 
reached him of the sudden and severe illness of 
28 



326 INDEPENDENCE HALL : 

his father from paralysis, at Philadelphia, and he 
asked permission to attend him. But Colonel Gads- 
den absolutely refused to grant the request, on the 
ground that no private consideration should interfere 
with public duty. But his filial yearnings were 
speedily gratified, for Ins father resigned his seat in 
Congress, and his son was immediately elected by the 
Provincial Assembly to fill it. He joyfully accepted 
it, and hastened to Philadelphia, where he took his 
seat in Congress, in 1776. He supported the propo- 
sition for Independence, and was one of the signers 
to the glorious declaration thereof. Mr. Lynch did 
not long remain in Congress, for the declining health 
of both himself and his father caused him to resign 
his seat and return home. They traveled slowly 
until they reached Annapolis, where his father had 
another paralytic stroke, which terminated his life. 
With a sad heart and debilitated frame, the bereaved 
son returned home. But the canker of disease was 
preying upon his vitals, and by the advice of physi- 
cians, he resolved to go to the south of Europe, with 
the faint hope, that restored health might be the result. 
It being perilous at that time to go in an American 
vessel, he sailed for the West Indies toward the close 
of 1779, with the expectation of finding a neutral 
vessel there, in which to embark for Europe. His 
affectionate wife accompanied him, but they never 
reached their destination. The vessel was supposed 
to have foundered at sea, and all on board perished, 
for it was never heard of afterward. 

Thus, at the early age of thirty years, terminated 
the life of one of that sacred band who pledged life, 
foi'tune and honor, in defence of Amei-ican freedom. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 327 

Like a brilliant meteor, he beamed with splendor for 
a short period, and suddenly vanished forever. 

Arthur Middleton was born at Middleton Place, 
the residence of his father, in South Carolina, in 1743. 
His father, Henry Middleton, was of English descent, 
and a wealthy planter, and he gave his son every 
opportunity for mental and moral culture which the 
Province afforded, until he arrived at a proper age to 
be sent to England for a thorough education. This 
was a prevailing custom among the men of Avealth in 
the southern provinces, previous to the Eevolution, 
and their sons consequently became political and 
social leaders, on account of their superior education. 
Arthur Middleton was sent to England, when he was 
about twelve years of age, and was placed in a school 
at Hackney.''^ At fourteen he was transferred to a 
school in Westminster, where he remained four years, 
and then entered the University at Cambridge. While 
there, he shunned the society of the gay and dissi- 
pated, and became a very close and thoughtful student. 
He remained at Cambridge four years, and at the age 
of twenty-two he graduated with distinguished honors. 
He carried with him, from that institution, the sincere 
respect and esteem of professors and students. Young 
Middleton remained in England some time after leav- 
ing Cambridge, for the two-fold purpose of self-im- 
provement and of forming acquaintances with the 
branch of his family that remained there. He then 
went to the continent, and for two years he traveled 
and made observations of men, and manners, and 

* Several of the Southern members of Congress received their 
education at this school, preparatory to their entering the col- 
lege at Cambridge. 



328 INDEPEXDEXCE UALL : 

tilings, in southern Europe. He passed several montlis 
at Rome, where his highly cultivated mind became 
thoroughly schooled in the theory of the fine arts, 
and made him proficient as a painter. Mr. Middleton 
returned to South Carolina, in 1768, and very soon 
afterward married an accomplished 3^oung lady, named 
Izard. About a year after this event, he took his 
young wife and made a second tour on the continent 
of Europe, and spent some time in England. They 
returned in 1773, and, by the indulgence of his father, 
he tooh the family seat for his residence. There in 
the possession of wealth and every domestic enjoy- 
ment, ho had a bright prospect of worldly happiness. 
But even then the dark clouds of the Eevolution were 
gathering, and in less than two years the storm burst 
upon the South, as well as all along the Atlantic sea- 
board, with great fury. Men could not remain neutral, 
for there was no middle course, and Arthur Middleton, 
and his father, laid their lives and fortunes upon 
the altar of patriotism. When the decision w^as made 
and the die was cast, Mr. Middleton laid aside domes- 
tic ease and entered at once upon active life. He was 
a member of one of the committees of safety of South 
Carolina, appointed by the Provincial Congress in 
1775. In that body he was firm and unyielding in 
principle ; and wdien, soon afterward. Lord William 
Campbell was appointed Governor, and it was dis- 
covered that he was acting with duplicity, Mr. Mid- 
dleton laid aside all private feeling, and recommended 
his immediate arrest.'^ The proposition was too bold 

* Lord William Campbell was nearly related to Mr. Middle- 
ton's wife, and the greatest intimacy existed between the fami- 
lies. But private feelings and close ties of relationship had no 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 329 

to meet the views of the more timid majority of the 
committee, and the governor was allowed to flee from 
the State.-^' In the winter of 1776, Mr. Middleton 
was one of a committee appointed to form a govern- 
ment for South Carolina ; and early in the spring of 
that year he was elected by the Provincial Legislature, 
a delegate to the General Congress, at Philadelphia. 
There he was an active promoter of the measures 
tending toward a severance of the Colonies from Great 
Britain, and voted for and signed the Declaration of 
Independence. By this patriotic act, he placed him- 
self in a position to lose life and property, should the 
contest prove unsuccessful, but these considerations 
had no weight with him. Mr. Middleton continued a 
member of Congress until the close of 1777, when he 
returned to South Carolina. In 1778, the Assembly 
adopted a State Constitution, and Arthur Middleton 
was elected first governor under it. Doubting the 
legality of the proceedings of the Assembly in framing 
the constitution, he declined the acceptance of the ap- 
pointment. When, in 1779, South Carolina was 
invaded by the British, Mr. Middleton's property was 
exposed to their ravages. Yet he heeded not the de- 
struction that was wrought, but joining Governor 

weight in the scale against Mr. Middleton's convictions of duty, 
and he was among the first to recommend meetings to destroy 
the power of the governor. 

* Had the proposition of Mr. Middleton heen carried into 
effect, much bloodshed might have heen saved in South Carolina, 
for Lord Campbell, after his flight, joined Sir Henry Clinton, 
and representing the Tory interest as very powerful in that 
State, induced that commander, in connection with the fleet of 
Sir Peter Parker, to ravage the coast and make an attack upon 
Charleston. In that engagement Lord Campbell was slain. 

28-^ 



330 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

Kutledge in his attempts to defend the State, he left 
his estate entirely unprotected, and only wrote to his 
wife to remove with the family a day's journey from 
the scene of strife. In this invasion a large portion 
of his immense estate was sacrificed. The following 
year, after the surrender of Charleston to the British, 
he was one of the many influential men who were 
taken prisoners and sent to St. Augustine in Florida. 
There he remained about one year, and was then sent, 
as an exchanged prisoner, to Philadelphia. He was 
at once elected by the Assembly of South Carolina, a 
representative in Congress, and he remained there 
until November, 1782, when he returned to his family. 
He was a representative in his State Legislature until 
near the close of 1787, when disease removed him 
from his sphere of usefulness. By exposure he oon- 
tracted an intermittent fever, which he neglected until 
it was too late to check its ravages upon his constitu- 
tion. He died on the first day of January, 1788. He 
left his wife a widow with eight children. She lived 
until 1814, and had the satisfaction of seeing her oH:- 
spring among the honored of the land. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 331 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 

BURTON GWINNETT — LYMAN HALL— GEORGE WALTON. 

Bold and fearless in the contest, 
Struggled tliey for liberty. 

Burton Gwinnett was born in England, in 1732. 
The pecuniary means of his parents were limited, yet 
they managed to give him a good common edacation. 
He was apprenticed to a merchant in Bristol, and after 
completing his term of service, he married, and com- 
menced business on his own account. Allured by the 
promises of wealth and distinction in America, he re- 
solved to emigrate hither, and he arrived at Charleston, 
in South Carolina, in the year 1770. There he com- 
menced mercantile business, and after pursuing it for 
two years, he sold out his stock, moved to Georgia, 
and purchased large tracts of land on St. Catherine's 
Island in that province. He purchased a number of 
slaves, and devoted himself to agricultural pursuits. 
Mr. Gwinnett favored the opposition of the Colonies 
to British oppression, to some degree ; yet he was one 
of those cautious, doubting men at that time, who 
viewed the success of the Colonies in an open rupture 
with the home government, as highly problematical. 
Therefore, when, in 1774, Georgia was solicited to 
unite her voice with the other Colonies in a General 
Congress, Mr. Gwinnett looked upon the proposition- 
with disfavor, as one fraught with danger and many 



382 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

evils. But falling in with Doctor Lyman Hall, and a 
few other decided patriots, his judgment became 
gradually convinced that some powerful movement 
was necessary ; and at length he came out before the 
people, as one of the warmest advocates of unbending 
resistance to the British Crown. His cultivated mind 
and superior talents rendered him very popular with 
the people as soon as he espoused their cause, and 
every honor in their gift was speedily bestowed upon 
him. It was in the beginning of 1775, that Mr. 
Gwinnett openly espoused the cause of the patriots, 
and the parish of St. John elected him a delegate to 
the Continental Congress."^ In February, 1776, he 
was again elected a delegate to that body by the 
General Assembly of Georgia, and under their instruc- 
tions, and in accordance with his own strong inclina- 
tions, he voted for the Declaration of Independence, 
and sis^ned it on the second of Aus-ust following^. He 
remained in Congress until 1777, when he was elected 
a member of the Convention of his State to form a 
Constitution, in accordance with the recommendation 
of Congress after the Declaration of Independence 
was made, and the grand outlines of that instrument 
are attributed to Mr. Gwinnett. Soon after the State 
Convention adjourned, Mr. Bullock, the president of 

""' At the early stage of the controversy with Great Britain, 
Georgia, sparsedly populated, seemed quite inactive, except in 
the district known as the i)arish. of St. John. There all the 
patriotism of the provinc seems to have been concentrated. 
The General Assembly having refused to send delegates to the 
Congress of 1774, that parish separated from the province, and 
appointed a representative in the Continental Congress. The 
leaven, however, soon spread, and Georgia gave her vote, *In 
1776, for independence. 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 333 

the council, died, and Mr. Gwinnett was elected to 
that station, then the highest office in the gift of the 
people. The civil honors, so rapidly and lavishly 
bestowed upon him, excited his ambition, and while 
he was a representative in Congress, he aspired to the 
possession of military honors also. He offered him- 
self as a candidate for the office of Brigadier- General, 
and his competitor was Colonel M'Intosh, a man 
highly esteemed for his manly bearing and courageous 
disposition. Mr. Gwinnett was defeated, and with 
mistaken views he looked upon his rival as a personal 
enemy ."^ A decided alienation of their former friend- 
ship took place, and the breach was constantly widened 
by the continued irritations Avhich Mr. Gwinnett ex- 
perienced at the hands of Colonel M'Intosh and his 
friends. At length he was so excited by the conduct 
of his opposers, and goaded by the thoughts of having 
his fair fame tarnished in the eyes of the community, 
from whom he had received his laurels, that he lis- 
tened to the suggestions of false honor, and challenged 
Colonel M'Intosh to single combat. They met with 
pistols, and at the first fire both were wounded, Mr. 

^ As we have elsewliere remarked, in tlie course of these me- 
moirs, native-born Englishmen were in the habit of regarding 
the colonists as inferior to themselves, and tliej were apt to 
assume a bearing toward them highly ofl'ensive. In some de- 
gree Mr. Gwinnett was obnoxious to this charge, and he looked 
upon his rapid elevation in public life, as an acknowledgment 
of his superiority. These feelings were too thinly covered not 
to be seen by the people when he was president of the council, 
and it soon engendered among the natives a jealousy that was 
fully reciprocated by him. This was doubtless the prime cause 
of all the difficulties which surrounded him toward the close 
of his life, and brought him to his tragical death. 



5J4 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

Gwinnett mortally; and in the prime of life, at the 
early age of forty-five, his life terminated. He could 
well have said, in the language of the lamented Ham- 
ilton, when fatally wounded in a duel by Aaron Burr: 
" I have lived like a man, but I die like a fool." Mr. 
Gwinnett left a wife and several children, but they 
did not long survive him. 

Lyman Hall was born in Connecticut in the year 
1721. His father was possessed of a competent for- 
tune, and he gave his son an opportunity for acquiring 
a good education. He placed him in Yale College, 
at the age of sixteen years, whence he graduated after 
four }-ears' study. He chose the practice of medicine 
as a profession, and he entered upon the necessary 
studies with great ardor, and pursued them with per- 
severance. As soon as Mr. Hall had completed his 
professional studies, and was admitted to practice, with 
the title of M. D., he married and emigrated to South 
Carolina, in 1752. He first settled at Dorchester, but 
during the year he moved to Sunbury, in the district 
of Medway, in Georgia, whither about forty New 
England families, then in South Carolina, accom- 
panied him. He was very successful in the practice 
of his profession; and by his intelligence, probity, and 
consistency of character, he won the unbounded esteem 
and confidence of his fellow-citizens. Doctor Hall 
was a close observer of the '' signs of the times," and 
he was among the earliest of the southern patriots 
who lifted up their voices against British oppression 
and misrule. The community in which he lived was 
strongly imbued with the same feeling, for the people 
brought with them from JSTev;- England the cherished 
principles of the Pilgrim Fathers — principles that 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 335 

would not brook attempts to enslave, or even to de- 
stroy a single prerogative of the Colonies. The older 
settlers of Georgia, many of .whom were direct from 
Europe, had these principles of freedom inwoven with 
their character in a much less degree, and therefore 
the parish of St. John, wherein Doctor Hall resided, 
seemed, at the first cry of liberty, to have much of the 
patriotism of the province centred there. Early in 
1774 Doctor Hall and a few kindred spirits, endeav- 
ored, by calling public meetings, to arouse the people 
of the province to make common cause with their 
brethren of the North ; but these eftbrts seemed almost 
futile. Finally, a general meeting of all favorable to 
republicanism was called at Savannah, in July, 1774, 
but the measures adopted there were temporizing and 
non-committal in a great degree, and Doctor Hall 
almost despaired of success in persuading Georgia to 
send delegates to the General Congress, called to meet 
at Philadelphia in September. He returned to his 
constituents with a heavy heart, and his report filled 
them with disgust at the pusilanimity of the other 
representatives there. Fired with zeal for the cause, 
and deeply sympathizing with their brother patriots 
of New England, the people of the parish of St. John 
resolved to act in the matter, independent of the rest 
of the colony, and in March, 1775, they elected Doctor 
Hall a delegate to the General Congress, and he ap- 
peared there with his credentials on the thirteenth of 
May, following. Notwithstanding he was not an ac- 
credited delegate of a colony, Congress, by a unani- 
mous vote, admitted him to a seat. During the 
summer, Georgia became sufficiently aroused to come 
out as a colony in flivor of the republican cause, and 



336 INDEPENDEXCE HALL: 

at a convention of the people held in Savannah, in 
July, five delegates to Congress were elected, of whom 
Doctor Hall was one. He presented his credentials 
in May, 1776, and he took part in the debates which 
ensued on the motion of Mr. Lee for independence. 
Doctor Hall warmly supported it, and voted for it on 
the fourth of July. He signed the declaration on the 
second of August, and soon afterward returned home 
for a season. Doctor Hall was a member of Congress 
nearly all the while until 1780, when the invasion of 
his State, by the British, called him home to look after 
the safety of his family. He arrived there in time to 
remove them, but was obliged to leave his property 
entirely exposed to the fury of the foe. He went 
north, and while the British had possession of the 
State, and revived royal authority in the government 
there, his property was confiscated. He returned to 
Georgia, in 1782, just before the enemy evacuated 
Savannah.'^' The next year he was elected governor 

* After the capture of Cornwallis and his army at Yorktown, 
in 1781, the war virtually ceased. Armies were still on duty, 
and arrangements were made for regular campaigns the ensuing 
season ; but unimportant skirmishes in the Southern States 
made up the bulk of actual hostilities from that time until the 
proclamation of peace. Greorgia was the only rendezvous of the 
remnant of the British at the South, in the beginning of the 
year 1782. In June of that year, General Wayne arrived there 
with a portion of tlie Pennsylvania line, and the enemy re- 
treated from all their outposts into Savannah. The State was 
thus evacuated, and republican authority was re-established. 
Wayne was attacked within five miles of Savannah, on the 
twenty-fourth of June, by a party of British and Indians, and 
in that skirmish Colonel John Laurens was killed. This was 
the last battle of the Revolution. Cessation of hostilities was 
proclaimed, and in July the British force evacuated Savannah, 
and tlie last hostile foot left the soil of Georgia 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 337 

of the State. He held the office one term, and then 
retired from public life, and sought happiness in the 
domestic circle. But that was soon invaded by the 
arch-destroyer. His only son was cut down in the 
flower of his youth, and the father did not long sur- 
vive him. He died in the year 1784, in the sixty- 
third year of his age, greatly beloved and widely 
lamented."^ 

George Walton was descended from parentage 
quite obscure, and the glory that halos his name de- 
rives not a gleam from ancestral distinction — it is all 
his own. He was born in the county of Frederick, in 
Virginia, in the year 1740. His early education was 
extremely limited, and at the age of fourteen years he 
was apprenticed to a carpenter. He was possessed of 
an inquiring mind, and an ardent thirst for knowl- 
edge, but his master's authority Imng like a mill-stone 
about the neck of his aspirations. He was an igno- 
rant man, and looked upon a studious boy as an idle 
one, considering the time spent in reading as wasted. 
With this feeling, he would allow young Walton no 
time to read by day, nor lights to stud}^ by night ; but 
the ardent youth overcame these difficulties, and by 
using torch-wood for light, he spent his evenings in 
study. Persevering in this course, he ended his ap- 
prenticeship with a well-stored mind. He then moved 
into the province of Georgia, and commenced the study 
of law in the office of Mr. Young, an eminent barrister 

* During the session of the Legislature of Georgia, in 1848, 
the sum of fifteen hundred dollars was appropriated for the 
purpose of erecting a lead monument to the memory of Lyman 
Hall, and George Walton, two delegates from Georgia, who 
signed the Declaration of Independence. 

29 



338 INDEPENDENCE HALL : 

in that Colony. Mr. AYalton commenced the practice 
of law in the year 1774, a time when the Colonies 
were in a blaze respecting the various acts of the 
British Parliament which invaded colonial rights. 
Soon after commencing the practice of his profession, 
Mr. Walton became acquainted with some of the lead- 
ing patriots in that province, among whom was Dr. 
Hall ; and they found in him an apt pupil in the school 
of patriotism. His law tutor was an ardent patriot also ; 
and these influences, combined with his own natural 
bias, made him espouse the republican cause with 
hearty zeal. He boldly opposed the movements of 
the loyalists, and soon called down upon his head the 
denunciations of the ruling powers. He labored as- 
siduously to have the whole province take the road 
toward freedom, which the parish of St. John had cho- 
sen, yet his labor seemed almost fruitless. But at length 
the fruits of the zeal of himself and others began to ap- 
pear, and in the winter of 1776, the Assembly of Georgia 
declared for the patriotic cause^ and in February ap- 
pointed five delegates to the Continental Congress. 
Of these delegates, Mr. Walton was one. The royal 
governor was so incensed at this daring and treasona- 
ble act of the Assembly, that he threatened to use mili- 
tary force against them. But they utterly disregarded 
his authority, organized a new government, and elect- 
ed Archibald Bullock president of the Executive Coun- 
cil. The Cong-ress was in session at Baltimore when 
he arrived, having adjourned there from Pliiladeli3hia, 
because of the expected attack upon that city by the 
British under Lord Cornwallis. The confidence which 
that body reposed in him was manifested three days 
after his arrival, by his appointment upon a committee 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 339 

with Kobert Morris and George Clymer, to repair to 
Philadelpliia and act as circumstances might require. 
This was a post of great trust and danger, and the pow- 
ers delegated to the committee were almost unlimited; 
in their keeping and disposition nearly the whole of 
the finances of Congress were entrusted. This service 
was performed with the utmost fidelity. Mr. Walton 
was favorable to the proposition for independence, and 
he used ail his influence to bring about that result. 
He voted for and signed the Declaration of Indepen- 
dence, and the fortune and honor he there pledged 
were freely devoted to its support. He remained in 
Congress until near the close of 1778, when he return- 
ed home, having been appointed by the Legislature col- 
onel of a regiment in his State, then threatened by an 
invasion of the enemy from the sea. Colonel Walton 
hastened to join his regiment, and was there in time to 
enter the battalion of General Howe," at Savannah, 
when Colonel Campbell, from New York, landed there 
and besieged it. In that engagement he received a se- 
vere shot wound in his thigh, and he fell from his 
horse. In this condition he was taken prisoner, but 

* This was General Robert Howe, of the American Army. 
There were three commanding officers by the name of Howe en- 
gaged in our Revolutionary war: General Robert Howe, just 
named ; General Sir William Howe, of the British army ; and 
his brother, Lord Howe, Admiral in its navy. At the time in 
question, General Robert Howe had about eight hundred men 
under his command, and would doubtless have maintained a 
successful defense of Savannah, had it not been for a treacherous 
negro, who pointed out to the enemy a path across a morass that 
defended the Americans in the rear. By this treachery the 
Americans were attacked front and rear, and were obliged to 
surrender themselves prisoners of war. 



340 INDEPENDENCE HALL I 

was soou after exchanged.'^ In October, 1779, the 
Legislature of Georgia appointed Mr. Walton governor 
of the State. He did not hold that office long, for in 
January, 1780, he was again elected to a seat in Con- 
gress for two years, but in October following he with- 
drew from that body, and was again elected governor 
of his State, which office he then held a full term. 
Near the close of the term, he was appointed by the 
Legislature, Chief Justice of the State, and he retained 
that office until his death. In 1798^ he was elected a 
member of the Senate of the United States, where he 
remained one year and then retired to private life, ex- 
cept so far as his duties upon the bench required him 
to act in public. His useful life was terminated in 
Augusta, Georgia, on the second day of February, 
1804, when he was in the sixty-fourth year of his age. 
Mr. Walton had but one child, a son, who was a great 
solace to the declining years of his father.f 

^' lie then held the active position of major, with the rank of 
colonel ; yet being a Member of Congress and guilty of the great 
offense of having signed the Declaration of Independence, a 
brigadier-general was demanded in exchange for him. He was 
finally exchanged for a naval captain. 

t When General Jackson was governor of West Florida, Judge 
Walton's son held the office of Secretary of State, and was re- 
garded as one of the most estimable men in that territory. 



ITS niSTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 341 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

William Hooper — Joseph Hewes — John Penn. 

William Hooper was born in Boston, Massacliu- 
setts, on tlie seventeenth day of Jane, 1742. His father 
was a Scotchman, and a graduate of the University of 
Edinburgh. Soon after leaving that institution, he 
emigrated to America, and fixed his residence at Bos- 
ton, where he was married. William was his first 
born, and he paid particular attention to his prepara- 
tion for a collegiate course. He was placed under the 
charge of Mr. Lovell, then one of the most eminent 
instructors in the colony of Massachusetts Bay. Hav- 
ing completed his preparatory studies, William was 
entered a pupil at Harvard University, where he re- 
mained a close and industrious student for three years, 
and in 1760 he graduated with distinguished honors. 
His father designed him for the clerical profession, but 
as he evinced a decided preference for the bar, he was 
placed as a student in the office of the celebrated James 
Otis. On the completion of his studies, perceiving 
that the profession was quite fall of practitioners in Mas- 
sachusetts, he went to Xorth Carolina, where many of 
his Scotch relations resided, and began business in that 
province in 1767. Mr. Hooper formed a circle of very 
polished acquaintances there, and he soon became 
highly esteemed among the literary men of the prov- 
29* 



342 IXDEPENDE^X'E HAl/L : 

ince. He rose rapidly in his profession, and in a very 
short time he stood at the head of the bar in that re- 
gion, lie was greatly esteemed by the offieers of the 
government; and his success in the management of 
several causes, in which the government was his cli- 
ent, gave him much influence. 

When, in 1770-71, an insurrectionary movement 
was set on foot by a party of people termed the "Keg- 
ulators,"^' Mr. Hooper took sides with the government, 
and advised and assisted Governor Tryon in all his 
measures to suppress the rebellion. For this, he was 
branded as a royalist ; and even when he openly advo- 

■* This movement of the "Regulators," lias been viewed iu 
quite opposing lights ; one party regarding them as only a knot 
of low-minded malcontents, who had every thing to gain and 
nothing to lose, and who hoped, by getting up an excitement, to 
secure something for themselves in the general scramble. This 
was the phase in wliich they appeared to Mr. Hooi)er, and thus 
regarding them, he felt it his duty to oppose them and maintain 
good order in the State. Others viewed them as patriots, imi)el- 
led to action by a strong sense of wrong and injustice, the au- 
thor of which was Governor Tryon, whose oppressive and cruel 
acts, even his partisans could not deny. From all the lights we 
have upon the subject, we cannot but view the movement as a 
truly patriotic one and kindred to those which subsequently took 
X)lace in Massachusetts and Virginia, when Boston liarbor was 
made a tea-pot, and Patrick Henry drove the royal governor Dun- 
more from the jirovince of Virginia. Governor Tryon was a tyrant 
of the darkest hue, for he commingled, with his oppression, acts of 
the grossest immorality and wanton cruelty. Although the " Reg- 
ulators " were men moving in the common walks of life, (and 
doubtless many vagabonds enrolled themselves among them), 
yet the rules of government they adopted, the professions they 
made, and the practices they exhibited, all bear the impress of 
genuine patriotism ; aiul we cannot but regard the blood shed 
on the occasion by the infamous Tryon, as the blood of the early 
martyrs of our Revolution. 



ITS HISTOliY AND ASSOCIATIONS. olo 

cated the cause of the patriots, he was for a time view- 
ed with some suspicions lest his professions were uii- 
reah But those who knew him best, knew well how 
strono^ly and purely burned that flame of patriotism 
which his zealous instructor, Mr. Otis, had lighted in 
his bosom ; and his consistent course in public life, at- 
tested his sincerity. Mr. Hooper began his legislative 
labors in 1773, when he was elected a member of the 
Provincial Assembly of North Carolina, for the town 
of Wilmington. The next year he was returned a 
member for the county of Hanover ; and from his first 
entrance into public life, he sympathized with the op- 
pressed. This sympathy lead him early to oppose the 
court party in the State ; and so vigorous was his oppo- 
sition, that he was soon designated by the royalists as 
tlie leader of their enemies, and became very obnox- 
ious to them. The proposition of Massachusetts for a 
General Congress was hailed with joy in North Caro- 
lina, and a convention of the people was called in the 
summer of 1774, to take the matter into consideration. 
The convention met in Newbern, and after passing res- 
olutions approving of the call, they appointed William 
Hooper their first delegate to the Continental Congress. 
Although younger than a large majority of the mem- 
bers, he was placed upon two of the most important 
committees in that body, whose business it was to ar- 
range and propose measures for action — a duty which 
required talents and judgment of the highest order. 
Mr. Hooper was again elected to Congress in 1775, and 
was chairman of the committee which drew up an ad- 
dress to the Assembly of tlie island of Jamaica. This 
address was from his pen, and was a clear and able expo- 
sition of the existini!; difliculties between Great Britain 



344 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

and her American Colonies. He was again returned a 
member in ITTG,"^^ and was in his seat in time to vote for 
the DecUiration of Independence. He affixed his signa- 
ture to it, on the second of August following. He was 
actively engaged in Congress until March, 1777, when 
the derangement of his private affairs, and the safety 
of his family, caused him to ask for and obtain leave 
of absence, and he returned home. Like all the oth- 
ers who signed the Declaration of Independence, Mr. 
Hooper was peculiarly obnoxious to the British ; and 
on all occasions they used every means in their power 
to possess his person, harass his family, and destroy 
his estate. When the storm of the Revolution sub- 
sided, and the sun-light of peace beamed forth, he re- 
sumed the practice of his profession, and did not again 
appear in public life until 1786, when he was appointed 
by Congress, one of the judges of the federal court es- 
tablished to adjudicate in the matter of a dispute about 
territorial jurisdiction, between Massachusetts and New 
York. The cause was finally settled by commission- 
ers, and not brought before that court at all. Mr. 
Hooper now withdrew from public life, for he felt that 



* He was at home for some time during the spring of that 
year, attending two different Conventions that met at North 
Carolina, one at Hillsborough, the seat of the Provincial Congress, 
the other at Halifax. The Convention at the former place put 
forth an address to the people of Great Britain. This address 
was written by Mr. Hooper ; and we take occasion here to re- 
mark, that as early as the twentieth of May, 1775, a convention 
of the Committees of Safety of North Carolina met at Charlotte 
Court House, in Mecklenburg County, and by a series of resolu- 
tions, declared themselves free and independent of the British 
Crown ; to the support of which, they pledged their lives, their 
fortunes, and their sacred honor. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATION'S. 345 

a fatal disease was upon liim. He died at Hillsborough 
in October, 1790, aged forty-eight years. 

Joseph Hewes. — The parents of Joseppi Hewes 
were natives of Connecticut, and belonged to the So- 
ciety of Friends, or Quakers. Immediately after their 
marriage they moved to New Jersey, and purchased a 
small farm at Kingston, within a short distance of 
Princeton. It was there that Joseph was born, in the 
year 1730. He was educated at the college in Prince- 
ton, and at the close of his studies he was apprenticed 
to a merchant in Philadelphia, to qualify him for a 
commercial life. On the termination of his apprentice- 
ship, his father famished him with a little money capi- 
tal, to which he added the less fleeting capital of a good 
reputation, and he commenced mercantile business on 
his own account. His business education had been 
thorough, and he pursued the labors of commerce with 
such skill and success, that in a few years he amassed 
an ample fortune. At the age of thirty years, Mr. 
Hewes moved to North Carolina, and settled in Eden- 
ton, whicli became his home for life. He entered into 
business there, and his uprightness and honorable deal- 
ings soon won for him the profound esteem of the peo- 
ple. While yet a comparative stranger among them, 
they evinced their appreciation of his character, by 
electing him a member of the Legislature of North 
Carolina, in 1763, and so faithfully did he discharge 
his duties, that they re-elected him several consecu- 
tive years. Mr. Hewes was among the earliest of the 
decided patriots of North Carolina, and used his influ- 
ence in bringing about a Convention of the people of 
the State, to second the call of Massachusetts for a 
General Congress. The convention that met in the 



346 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

summer of 1774, elected him one of the delegates for 
that State, in the Continental Congress that met at 
Philadelphia in September following. He took his 
seat on the fourteenth of the month, and was immedi- 
ately placed upon the committee appointed to draw up 
a Declaration of Eights. Duriog that session he was 
actively engaged in maturing a plan for a general non- 
importation agreement throughout the Colonies, and 
he voted for, and signed it. In this act his devoted 
patriotism was manifest, for it struck a deadly blow at 
the busines in which he was engaged. It was a great 
sacrifice for him to make, yet he cheerfully laid it upon 
the altar of Freedom. Mr. Ilewes was again elected a 
delegate to Congress in 1775, and took his seat at the 
opening, on the tenth of May. Mr. Hewes was a 
member of Congress in 1776 ; and North Carolina hav- 
ing early taken a decided stand in favor of independence, 
his own views upon this question were fully sustained 
by his instructions, and he voted for, and signed the 
Declaration thereof As soon thereafter as the busi- 
nes of the session would admit, he returned home, for 
the troubles there demanded his presence, and his pri- 
vate affairs needed his attention to save his fortune 
from being scattered to the winds. He remained at 
home until July, 1779, when he resumed his seat in 
Congress. But his constitution, naturally weak, could 
not support the arduous labors of his station, and his 
health failed so rapidl}^, that he was obliged to resign 
his seat. He left it on the twenty-ninth of October, 
1779, and being too unwell to travel, he remained in 
Philadelphia. But he only lived eleven days after he 
left his seat in Congress. He died on the tenth of No- 
vember following, in the fiftieth year of his age. He 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 347 

was the first and only one of all the signers of the 
Declaration, who died at the seat of Government, while 
attending to public duty, and his remains were fol- 
lowed to the grave by Congress in a body, and a large 
concourse of the citizens of Philadelphia. 

John" Penn was born in the county of Carolina, 
Virginia, on the seventeenth of May, 1741. His father, 
Moses Penn, seemed to be utterly neglectful of the in- 
tellectual cultivation of his son ; and, although he pos- 
sessed the means of giving him a good English educa- 
tion, he allowed him no other opportunity than that 
which two or three years' tuition in a common country 
school in his neighborhood afforded. Mr. Penn died 
when his son was about eighteen years of age, and left 
him the sole possessor of a competent, though not large 
estate. It has been justly remarked that the compara- 
tive obscurity in which the youth of Penn was passed, 
was, under the circumstances, a fortunate thing for him, 
for he had formed no associates with the gay and 
thoughtless, which, on his becoming sole master of an 
estate, would have led him into scenes of vice and dis- 
sipation, that might have proved his ruin. His mind, 
likewise, was possessed of much vigor, and he was natu- 
ally inclined to pursue an honorable and virtuous course. 
YoLing Penn was a relative of the celebrated Edmund 
Pendleton, and resided near him. That gentleman 
kindly gave him the free use of his extensive library, 
and this opportunity for acquiring knowledge was in- 
dustriously improved. He resolved to qualify himself 
for the profession of the law, and strong in his faith 
that he should be successful, he entered upon a course 
of legal study, guided and instructed only by his own 
judgin(Mit and good common sense. He succeeded 



348 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

admirably, and at the age of twenty-one years, he was 
admitted to the bar in his native county. His profes- 
sion soon developed a native eloquence before inert 
and unsuspected, and by it, in connection with close 
application to business, he rapidly soared to eminence. 
His eloquence was of that sweet, persuasive kind, 
which excites all the tender emotions of the soul, and 
possesses a controlling power at times irresistible. In 
1774, Mr. Penn moved to North Carolina, and com- 
menced the practice of his profession there. So soon 
did liis eminent abilities and decided patriotism become 
known there, that in 1775 he was elected a delegate 
from that State to the Continental Congress, and he 
took his seat in that body, in October of that year. 
He remained there three successive years, and faith- 
fully discharged the duties of his high station. Act- 
ing in accordance with the instruction of his State 
Convention, and the dictates of his own judgment 
and feelings, he voted for the Declaration of Indepen- 
dence, and joyfully placed his sign manual to the 
parchment. When, in 1780, Cornwallis commenced 
his victorious march northward from Camden, in South 
Carolina,'^ the western portion of North Carolina, 
which lay in his path, was almost defenceless. Mr. 

* After the defeat of the Americans under General Gates, at 
Sander's Creek, near Camden, Lord Cornwallis left Colonel Fer- 
gerson to keep the Americans in South Carolina at hay, and at 
once proceeded northward with the intention of invading Vir- 
ginia. He had made arrangements for General Leslie to reinforce 
him in that State, by landing somewhere upon the shore of the 
Chesapeake. But while pursuing his march northward, and 
greatly harassed by bands of patriots, who had been set in mo- 
tion by the active energies of Penn, he heard of the defeat and 
death of Colonel Fcrgcrson at King's Mountain, and he hastened 
back to South Carolina, and thus, almost defenseless, Virginia 
was saved from a destructive invasion. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 349 

Penn was a resident of that portion of the State, ano 
the Legislature unable to act efficiently in its collective 
capacity, conferred upon him almost absolute dictato- 
rial powers, and allowed him to take such measures 
for the defense of the State, as the exigency of the case 
required. This was an extraordinary evidence of great 
public confidence, but in no particular did he abuse 
the power thus conferred. He performed his duties 
with admirable fidelity and skill, and received the 
thanks of the Legislature, and the general benedictions 
of the people. Mr. Penn retired from public life in 
1781, and resumed the practice of his profession. But 
he was again called out in 1764, when Eobert Morris, 
the Treasurer of the Confederation, appointed him a 
Sub-Treasurer or receiver of taxes for North Carolina. 
It was an office of honor and great trust, but unpopu- 
lar in the extreme. Still he was willing to serve his 
countr}^ in any honorable capacity where he could be 
useful ; but he soon found he would do but little that 
could in anywise conduce to the public weal, and after 
holding the office a few weeks, he resigned it, and re- 
sumed his private business. He did not again appear 
in public life, and in September, 1788, he died in the 
forty-seventh year of his age. 

The life of John Penn furnishes another example of 
the high attainments which may crown those who, 
though surrounded by adverse circumstances, by per- 
severing industry cultivate mind and heart, and aim 
at an exalted mark of distinction. If young men 
would, like him, resolve to rise above the hindrance 
of adverse circumstances and push boldly onw^ard to- 
ward some honorable goal, they would seldom fail to 
reach it, and the race would be far easier than they 
imagined it to be, when gird inn- fm- its trial. 
30 



850 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 



Here sat the wisest, sagest statesman 
The world ever knew. 

There are relics preserved in Independence Hall 
which give peculiar interest to the associations that 
cluster around the shrine of our national freedom. 
Every article is imbued with an inspiration that lifts 
the spirit from less exalted themes, and impresses the 
mind with the importance attached to these mementoes 
of the past. Among them is the portion of the Pew 
which Washington — the Father of his Country — oc- 
cupied, when he attended Divine service in Christ 
Church. This relic speaks to us, through the inanimate 
materials of which it is made, in words of peculiar 
eloquence, and tells a story pregnant with historical 
incident. How sublime it is to contemplate the time 
when that meek and good man sat there, listening to 
the oracles of Revelation, as they fell in burning lan- 
guage from the lips of Zion's herald — how his full heart 
palpitated when allusion was made to the struggles of 
his countrymen to throw off the shackles that bound 
them to despotic domination — and how his soul leaped 
for joy when the minister of God prayed for the suc- 
cess of Liberty, and urged the patriots on to noble 
duty in the cause of Independence ! Who can tell 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 351 

how many silent prayers reached tlie Throne of the 
Almighty from this humble seat, gushing fresh and 
vigorous from the warm heart of that holy patriot ? 
The exigencies of the times — the importance of the 
issues involved — the fearful forebodings — the anxiety 
for ultimate success — the safety of his fellow-country- 
men — were thoughts that must have revolved con- 
stantly in his mind, inciting him to earnest supplication 
to the Arbiter of nations for protection in the trying 
ordeal. What weighty matters must have exercised 
his reflections? Political questions, big with the 
future destiny of the Colonies he defended, no doubt 
were mentally discussed by him, as well as the in- 
terests of Christianity. No man, before nor since, 
occupied so responsible a position as Washington. 
He stood at the head of the struggling army of the 
Ee volution — his wisdom — his judgment — his discre- 
tion, fortitude and valor, alone could inspire an un- 
conquerable patriotism, or incite feelings of dismay 
and apprehension. The burthen of this responsibility 
could not fail to have created in his mind emotions of 
deep intensity, and we cannot but fancy that his 
thoughts were busy, even while occupying this pew 
in the house of God, with the great problem of our 
national salvation. He, too, might have fancied the 
numbers who would fall in defense of freedom, and, 
at the same time feel the force of the poet's language — 

" Who dies in vain 
Upon his country's war-fields and within 
The shadow of her altars ? Feeble heart ! 
I tell thee that the voice of patriot blood, 
Thus poured for faith and freedom, hath a tone 
Which from the night of ages, from the gulf 
Of death, shall burst and make its high appeal 
Sound unto earth and heaven !" 



352 TNDEPENDEXCL HALL : 

Who knows but that, while sitting upon this pew, 
during the occasions he attended Divine worship, he 
matured some of those national measures, and adopted 
policies that gave his own life such brilliancy, and his 
country such an impetus to prosperity ! Washington's 
mind was never idly employed. Whether at church, 
in the field, at home, or in the soldier's camp, he was 
the same self-possessed patriot. He was beloved by 
his friends^^earecZ and respected by his enemies. 
Were the world, and especially his countr3nnen, in 
possession of the thoughts which passed through his 
mind while an incumbent of the pew, how much more 
could they have reason to feel proud of their Patrios 
Pater ? They would have been heirs to a richer legacy 
than they inherited in his Farewell Address, when he 
exclaimed : " The unity of government, which consti- 
tutes you one people, is also now dear to you. It is 
justly so; for it is a main pillar in the edifice of your 
real independence ; the support of your tranquillity at 
home ; your peace abroad ; of your safety ; of your 
prosperity ; of that very liberty which you so highly 
prize. But as it is easy to foresee that, from dif- 
ferent causes and from different quarters, much pains 
will be taken, many artifices employed, to weaken in 
your minds the conviction of this truth ; as this is 
the point in your politicel fortress against which the 
batteries of internal and external enemies will be 
most constantly and actively (though often covertly 
and insidiously) directed; it is of infinite moment 
that you should properly estimate the immense value 
of your national union to your collective and indi- 
vidual happiness ; that you should cherish a cordial, 
habitual, and immovable attachment to it ; accustom- 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 353 

ing yourselves to think and speak of it as a palladium 
of your political safety and prosperity ; watching for 
its preservation with jealous anxiety ; discountenan- 
cing whatever may suggest even suspicion that it can 
in any event be abandoned ; and indignantly frowning 
upon the first dawning of every attempt to alienate 
any portion of our country from the rest, or to en- 
feeble the sacred ties which now link together the 
various parts. For this you have every inducement 
of sympathy and interest. Citizens by birth or choice, 
of a common country, that country has a right to con- 
centrate your affections. The name of American, 
which belongs to you in your national capacity, must 
always exalt the just pride of patriotism, more than 
any appellation derived from local discriminations. 
With slight shades of difference you have the same 
religion, manners, habits, and political principle. You 
have, in a common cause, fought and triumphed to- 
gether ; the independence and liberty you possess are 
the work of joint councils and joint efforts — of common 
dangers, sufferings, and success. But these considera- 
tions,, however powerfully they address themselves to 
your sensibility, are greatly outweighed by those 
which apply more immediately to your interest. Here 
every portion of our country finds the most command- 
ing motives for carefully guarding and preserving the 
union of the whole. . . . While, then, every part 
of our country thus feels an immediate and particular 
interest in union, all the parts combined cannot fail to 
find in the united mass of means and efforts, greater 
strength, greater resource, proportionably greater se- 
curity from external danger, a less frequent interrup- 
tion of their peace by foreign nations ; and what is of 
30* 



354 indepeni)p:nce hall: 

inestimable value, they must derive from utiion an 
exemption from those broils and wars between them- 
selves, which so frequently afflict neighboring coun- 
tries, not tied together by the same government, which 
their own rivalships alone would be sufficient to pro- 
duce ; but Avhich opposite foreign alliances, attach- 
ments and intrigues, would stimulate and embitter. 
. . . . These considerations speak a persuasive 
language to every reflecting and virtuous mind, and 
exhibit the continuance of the union as a primary 
object of patriotism. Is there a doubt whether a 
common government can embrace so large a sphere ? 
Let experience solve it. To listen to mere speculation 
in such a case were criminal. We are authorized to 
hope that a proper organization of the whole, with 
the auxiliary agency of governments for the respective 
subdivisions, will afford a happy issue of the experi- 
ment. It is well worth a fair and full experi- 
ment. With such powerful and obvious motives to 
union, affecting all parts of our country, while ex- 
perience shall not have demonstrated its impractica- 
bility, there will always be a reason to distrust the 
patriotism of those who, in any quarter, may seek to 
weaken its bands. In contemplating the causes which 
may disturb our union, it occurs as a matter of serious 
concern that any ground should have been furnished 
for characterizing parties, b}^ geographical discrimina- 
tions — Northern and Southern — Atlantic and Western — 
v/hence designing men may endeavor to excite a be- 
lief that there is a real difference of local interests and 
views. One of the expedients of party to acquire 
influence within particular districts, is to misrepresent 
the opinions and aims of other districts. You cannot 



ITS IIISTOEY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 355 

shield yourselves too miicli against the jealousies and 
heart-burnings which spring from these misrepresenta- 
tions — they tend to render alien to each other those 
who ought to be bound together by fraternal affection." 
Such, no doubt, were many of the serious thoughts 
that occupied the mind of Washington, even while 
listening to the ministrations of Divine truth, as he 
sat upon this not very imposing seat. Oh, how his 
heart burned for the success of his struggling country! 
How he longed to see his oppressed compatriots free 
from despotic usurpation, and the land he was defend- 
ing a nation by itself, with all the requisite arrange- 
ments for self-government. When we imagine his 
anxiety for the cause of the struggling colonists, the 
important part he took in the great drama of the 
Kevolution, and his subsequent counsel in administer- 
ing the affairs of the Government over which he pre- 
sided,^ we cannot fail to realize that Independence 

"■ The subjoined anecdote will clearly exhibit the character 
of Washington in an official capacity : — During his administra- 
tion as President of the United States, a gentleman, the friend 
of the President throughout the whole course of the Revolu- 
tionary war, applied for a lucrative and responsible office. The 
gentleman was at all times welcome to Washington's table. He 
had been to a certain degree necessary to the domestic repose 
of a man who had for seven years fought the battles of his 
country, and who had now undertaken the task of wielding her 
political energies. At all times and in all places, Washington 
regarded his revolutionary associate with an eye of evident 
partiality and confidence. He was a jovial, pleasant and unob- 
trusive companion. In applying for the office, it was in the full 
confidence of success, and his friends already cheered him in 
the prospect of his arrival at competency and ease. The op- 
ponent of this gentleman was known to be decidedly hostile to 
the politics of Washington. He had even made himself con- 
spicuous among the ranks of the opposition. He had, however, 



356 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

Hall is the most befitting place in which to preserve 
the sacred relics of our national history. Here let the 
Pew of Geokge Washington ever remain as an in- 
spiring memento to attract the patriotism and religions 
reverence of every pilgrim to this shrine. 

tlie temerity to stand as a candidate for the office to which the 
friend and favorite of Washington aspired. He had nothing to 
urge in favor of his pretensions but strong integrity, prompti- 
tude, and fidelity in business, and every quality which, if called 
into exercise, would render service to the State. Every one 
considered the appointment of this man hopeless. No flatter- 
ing testimonial of merit had he to present to the eye of "Wash- 
ington. He was known to be his political eneniy. He was op- 
posed by a favorite of the general ; and yet with such fearful 
odds he dared to stand a candidate. What was the result? 
The enemy of Washington was appointed to the office, and his 
table companion left destitute and rejected. A mutual friend, 
who interested himself in the affair, ventured to remonstrate 
with the President for the injustice of his appointment. " My 
friend," said he, " I receive him with a cordial welcome. He is 
welcome to my house and welcome to my heart. But, with all 
his good qualities, he is not a man of business. His opponent 
is, with all his political hostility to me, a man of business. 
My private feelings have nothing to do in this case. I am not 
George Washington, but President of the United States. As 
George Washington, I would do this man any kindness in my 
power ; but, as President of the United States, I can do nothing." 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 357 



CHAPTEE XXXIX. 
franklin's desk. 

' ' Nocturnd versate manu, versate diiirnd. ' ' 

Like all the other attractive relics which add pecu- 
liar interest to the associations of Independence Hall, 
Franklin's old and antiquated office-desk excites in- 
tense admiration. Its simplicity, like the plain habili- 
ments of that Nestorian patriot, is powerfully sug- 
gestive, and carries the mind back to a period when 
the " Sons of Liberty" did not revel in as luxurious 
palaces as now, and statesmen and philosophers learned 
wisdom under more embarrassing circumstances. This 
old desk was Franklin's choice companion. He re- 
garded it as a very dear friend, for he sat by its side 
through years of trouble; and from its unpolished 
surface he sent forth to the world words of wisdom, 
truth, and philosophy, as well as political principles, 
that caused kings upon their thrones to tremble. 
Here it was that he committed to paper for the good 
of future generations, his investigations respecting the 
force and character of electricity — here his ingenious 
thoughts assumed the form of tangibility, and were 
spread before the world in characters of living light. 
" Poor Eichard" here uttered his wise sayings ; and 
here the diplomatist wrote many valuable State papers. 



358 INDEPKNDENCE HALL: 

It may seem a small matter to write about so iincontli 
a piece of furniture as this old Desk ; but the char- 
acter of the man who owned it, and who penned so 
many valuable works upon it, invests it with an in- 
terest that cannot be estimated in dollars and cents. 
It has survived the wreck of years, and stands before 
us now as a silent memento of the times when Freedom 
struggled with oppression — when monarchical usur- 
pation placed an iron incubus upon the necks of men 
endeavoring to free themselves from the yoke of 
bondasre — 

o 

"Who, firmly good in a corrupted state, 
Against the rage of tyrants singly stood, 
Invincible." 

When Juvenal visited Eome, and stood amidst the 
architectural piles and memorable scenes of that re- 
nowned city, he realized a sensation of wonder take 
possession of his mind, and in the fullness of his soul 
he cried out: '"'' Quid Romce- faciam ! Mentiri nescio f 
He was at a loss to know what he should do at Eome, 
because so vividly came to his recollection the associa- 
tions connected with its history, that he declared he 
could not die. He may have spoken metaphorically, but 
the figure is impressive, and applies equally pertinent 
to Independence Hall. We cannot stand here, and 
gaze upon these mighty relics, without experiencing 
the same sensation; and, obtuse as our sensibilities 
may be, we will not fail to be alive to every impulse 
that thrills the patriotic breast. The history of the 
past, with all its concomitant incidents — the part en- 
acted in that history by the men whose figures look 
down upon us here — the positions assumed by the 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 359 

relics so carefully preserved and arranged — all inspire 
us with emotions of gratitude and national reverence. 
Here the mind goes back to days long ago, and feels 
an irresistible patriotism steal over it. The Desk of 
Dr. Franklin is sacred to the lover of history, for it is 
a link in the biography of our nation that binds us to 
its institutions, and makes us regard with filial re- 
spect the cost of the inheritance we are enjoying — a 
free Eepublic, 

''Where, beneath the sway 
Of mind and equal laws, fi-amed by themselves, 
One people dwell, and own no lord save God." 

There is something grand and suggestive in these old 
mementos. They speak to us like living oracles, 
and breathe the true fires of Independence. And 
why ? Because they are representatives of the times 
which were fruitful in laying the foundation of our 
national liberty — the period of a virtuous rebellion, 
which culminated in the disenthralment of our colo- 
nial dependence upon the government and exactions 
of despotic power. Eightfully appreciated, these 
silent and tongueless relics exert a powerful influence 
upon the thoughtful student of his country's history, 
and serve, in no small degree, to direct and invigorate 
those patriotic impulses which are designed to erect a 
protecting aegis around the sacred fanes of our 
country. No one can look upon them without feel- 
ing himself in the presence of inspiring genii. A 
thrill of pleasure comes over us, and we fancy our- 
selves among the years that were. We partake the 
spirits of the great men around us, and realize the im- 
portant characters thoy assumed, and the deeds they 



360 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

performed in the Kevolutionary struggles of tlie 
country. The incidents connected witli the eventful 
life of Franklin also rush upon our memories, and we 
see him in imagination conning over his books and 
papers beside his old Desk,* with all the gravity of a 
philosopher, a statesman, and a man of letters. We 
remember, too, that close by, in a neighboring church- 
yard, at Fifth and Arch streets, lie the moldering re- 
mains of that stern Nestor of Patriots and his wife 
Deborah, in tranquil repose. The green turf has 
covered them for years, but the hallowed influences 
their deeds exert upon mankind, will freshen in 
eternal bloom upon the altars of our country, and 
shed a halo of divine radiance along the pathway to 
honor and national independence. 

* The history of this Desk is as follows : After the death of 
Dr. Franklin it came into the possession of Mr. Israel Whelen, Sr., 
the grandfather of the Messrs. Whelen, Exchange Brokers, on 
Walnut street above Third. It then passed into the hands of 
the father of these gentlemen, Mr. Israel Whelen, Jr. — by him 
it was donated to Mr. Robert Town, at the time a clerk of Mr. 
W. Jr. ; and finally, in turn, it was donated by Mr. Town to 
his brother, Benjamin Town, the father of the present owner, 
and in whose family it has been retained nearly half a century. 




i^^Mil 



M ittiaiag^ ^ 




CHAIR MADK OF RKLICS. 




WASHINaXON S PEW, FROM CHRIST S CHURCH. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 361 



CHAPTBE XL. 

A SINGULARLY HISTORICAL CHAIR. 

As relics of tlie olden time, 

This one appears tlie most sublime. 

Among the most singularly interesting pieces of 
furniture in Independence Hall; is an imposing Chair, 
which Avas manufactured in 1838, by William Snyder, 
of Kensington, by order of the Commissioners of that 
District, the year previously. It was designed by 
John F. Watson of Germantown, commemorative of 
important events in the History of Pennsylvania, and 
is made of the following interesting Relics, presented 
through the politeness of the individuals whose names 
are hereto annexed. 

1st. A portion of Mahogany from Christopher 
Columbus's House (the beam) near the City of St. 
Domingo, built in the year 1496 — the first house 
built in America by European hands. Presented by 
John F. Watson, Esq. 

2d. A portion of the great Elm Tree under "vvhich 
Wm. Penn formed his Treaty with the Indians, in 
1682. This treaty was to continue unbroken while 
creeks and rivers run, and while the sun, moon, and 
stars endured. The treaty of our land was an after 
concern, made for Wm. Penn, by the President of the 
Councils, Thomas Holmes, with Shakhoppoh and 



362 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

three other Sachems^ on the 30th of July, 1685. The 
treaty was pledged Avithout an oath, and never broken. 
The great Ehii Tree was blown down in 1810, and 
was ascertained by its grain to be two hundred and 
eighty- three years old. Presented by John Yandusen, 
of Kensington. 

3d. A portion of Oak joist taken from a house in 
Letitia Court, once the house of Wm. Penn, and his 
Deputy-Governor, Col. Markham. It was called at 
the time, Penn's Cottac^e. The cellar is said to be the 
first one dug in the City of Brotherly Love. Pre- 
sented by George Zigler, of the city of Philadelphia. 

4th. A portion of the last of a group of Walnut 
trees, of which the body of the chair is made, in front 
of the State House. They formerly served as distant 
pointers when the last Hall of Legislation stood ' ■ far 
out of the town." There they stood in the infant 
cradling of our nation, and survived to see our man- 
hood and independence asserted in that memorable 
Hall of Lidependence before which they stood. The 
last of this group was taken down in 1818. The tree 
was one hundred, and eighty -three years old. Pre- 
sented by John F. Watson, Esq. 

5th. A portion of cane-seating, taken from the seat 
of Wm. Penn's chair, in the possession of John F. 
Watson, of Germantown. 

6th. A portion of hair from the head of Chief 
Justice Marshall, in the centre of the chair, under a 
glass case. Presented by Mr. Wm. Adams, of the 
Northern Liberties. This hair was procured by AVm. 
H. Moore, undertaker, after Mr. Marshall's death. 

7th. A portion of the United States Frigate Consti- 
tution. Presented by Abraham Powell, of Southwark. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 363 

8th. A portion of the great ship Pennsylvania, 
built at Philadelphia; and launched in 1837. Pre- 
sented by Wm. Snyder, of Kensington. 

9th. The thirteen stars represent the thirteen 
original States, and are made of the different relics 
above mentioned. 

EXPLANATION OF THE CHAIR. 

Shield and scrolls over the eagle, are made of Oak 
taken from Penn's House. The half circle beads is 
made of Elm. Stars— No. 1 is made of Oak from 
Penn's house ; ISTos. 2, 3, 4, of Elm ; Nos. 5 and 6 as- 
sorted from the stern of the line-of-battle-ship Pennsyl- 
vania, Frigate Constitution, Oak from Penn's house, 
from Christopher Columbus's house, and of the great 
Elm Tree. Stars Nos. 7, 8, 9, made of Elm ; No. 10, 
part of the breast of the frigate Constitution. 

Stars Nos. 11, 12, 13, made of Elm. The centres 
of stars Nos.l, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, are made 
of wood taken from Christopher Columbus's house, 
Nos. 5, 6, the centres are made of the breast of the 
Constitution. No. 14, a glass semicircle, containing 
hair from the head of Chief Justice Marshall. No. 15, 
portions of Elm wood ; No. 16, cane-seating sur- 
rounded by Elm wood. The body of the chair and 
the Eagle is made of the relic Walnut wood. 

Such are the historical characteristics of this Chair. 
It is calculated to excite our curiosity, as well as to 
impress us with true admiration. AVithin this Chair 
are combined reminiscences and relics of nine im- 
portant things — portions of articles that bore con- 
spicuous parts in the early scenes of our country's 
existence. For several years it was occupied by the 



864 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

President of the Kensington Board of Commissioners ; 
and when that corporation was annulled, by the act 
consolidating the districts and county of Philadelphia 
into one city, this Chair was removed to Indepen- 
dence Hall, the most appropriate place for such a 
deeply interesting memento. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATION'S. 365 



CHAPTER XLI. 

THE TRIUMPHAL ARCH. 

" Sweet flower, thou tellest liow liearts 
As pure and tender as tliy leaf — as low 
And humble as thy stem — will surely know 
The joy that peace imparts." 

There is one circumstance connected with the 
history of our country which is seldom mentioned, 
and which was one of the most interesting in our 
annals. It was the reception of General Washing- 
ton, by the ladies of Trenton, as he passed through 
that city in 1789, on his way to ISew York, for the 
purpose of being inaugurated President of the United 
States. Rightfully appreciating the character of 
Washington, the ladies of Trenton erected a Tri- 
umphal Arch, and festooned the bridge across the 
Assanpink — the very stream where he routed and 
defeated the British forces but a few years before. 
The following account of this pleasant incident we 
copy from the "We^^ York Daily Gazette,''^ of May 1, 
1789: 

"Trenton has been twice memorable during the 
war — once by the capture of the Hessians, and again 
by the repulse of the whole British army, in their 
attempt to cross the bridge, the evening before the 
battle of Princeton. Recollecting these memorable 
81* 



366 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

circumstances; tlie ladies of Trenton formed a design 
and carried it into execution, solely under their 
direction, to testify to liis Excellency, by the celebra- 
tion of these actions, the grateful sense they retained 
of the safety and protection afforded by him to the 
daughters of New Jersey. 

" A triumphal arch was raised on the bridge twenty 
feet wide, supported by thirteen pillars. The centre 
of the arch from the ground Avas about twenty feet. 
Each pillar Avas entwined with wreaths of evergreen. 
The arch which extended about twelve feet along the 
bridge, was covered with laurel, and decorated in the 
inside with evergreens and flowers. On the front of the 
arch, on that side to which his Excellency approached, 
was the folloAving inscription, in large gilt letters : 

'the defender of the mothers 

will be the 
protector of the daughters'.' 

The upper and lower sides of this inscription were 
ornamented with wreaths of evergreens and artificial 
flowers of every kind, made for the purpose, beauti- 
fully interspersed. On the centre of the arch, above 
the inscription, was a dome or cupola of flowers and 
evergreens, encircling the dates of those glorious 
actions, inscribed in large gilt letters. The summit 
displayed a large sunflower, which, pointing to the 
sun, was designed to express the motto : 

'TO YOU alone!' 

as emblematic of the unparalleled unanimity of senti- 
ment in the inhabitans of the United States. 

" A. numerous train of ladies, leading their daughters 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 367 

in tlieir hands, assembled at tlie Arcli, thus to thank 
their defender and protector. 

^'As his Excellency passed under the Arch, he was 
addressed in the following Sonata, composed and set 
to music for the occasion, and sung by a number of 
young misses, dressed in white, and crowned with 
wreaths and chaplets of flowers. 

SONATA. 

Welcome, mighty chief ! once more 
Welcome to this grateful shore : 
Now no mercenary foe 
Aims again the fatal blow — 
Aims at thee the fatal blow. 

Virgins fair, and matrons grave, 
Those thy conquering arms did save, 
Build for thee triumphal bowers : 
Strew, ye fair, his way with flowers — 
Strew your hero''s ivay ivith flowers. 

Each of the singers held her basket in her hands, 
filled with flowers, which, when they sung, 

' Streiv your hero''s icay ivithfloivers,^ 

they scattered before him. 

'' The ladies of Trenton have displayed a degree of 
taste, elegance, and patriotism on this occasion, which 
does them the highest honor, and I believe stands un- 
exampled. But what particularly merits observation, 
all expense was most carefully avoided. The mate- 
rials of the structure were the most plain and un- 
polished, and cost the ladies but the labor of a few 
evenings in preparing the flowers. 

" The General being presented with a copy of the 
Sonata, was pleased to address the following CARD 



o6» INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

to the ladies of Trenton, wTio were assembled on the 
21st day of April, 1780, at the Triumphal Arch, erected 
by them on the bridge which extends across the 
Assanpink creek. 

' CARD. 

* General Wasliingtoii cannot leave tliis place, witliout express- 
ing his acknowledgments to the matrons and young ladies, wlio 
received liim in so novel and grateful a manner at the Triumphal 
Arch in Trenton, for the exquisite sensation he experienced in 
that affecting moment. The astonishing contrast between his 
former and actual situation at the same spot — the elegant taste 
with which it was adorned for the present occasion — and the 
innocent appearance of the white-rohed choir, who met him 
with the gratulatory song, have made such an impression on 
his remembrance as, he assures them, will never be effaced. 

' Trenton, April 21st, 1789.' " 

A drawing of this arch, and an account of the cir- 
cumstances attending the reception of Washington, 
were presented to Independence Hall, by Am'th 
Qninton, of TrentoD. When we reflect upon the con- 
trast which greeted Washington's eyes in this recep- 
tion, to the one he experienced when he met the 
deadly foes of our liberties on the banks of the same 
stream only a short time before, we cannot but ap- 
preciate the good taste of the ladies of Trenton, who 
thus welcomed to their city the heroic defender of our 
mothers and their homes. Oh, what a sensation of 
pleasure must he have enjoyed at this grand exhibi- 
tion of gratitude! The man who had struggled 
through a seven years' war against all the disad- 
vantages of a ' poverty-stricken' government — with a 
miserably supplied army to repel the well-fed and 
well-clothed minions of royalty — with nothing but an 
allwise Providence and patriotic men to rely upon foi 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 369 

success — amidst the colds and storms of winter and 
the burning heats of summer — that man who never 
faltered in the most trying hour — whose heart had 
been schooled in the stern lessons of vigorous combat 
with a powerful nation, and triumphed- over all in- 
terposing obstacles — thus to be greeted by the fair 
ladies of the land he defended, was too impressive for 
his refined sensibilities, and George Washington wept! 
Yes — the man who had commanded in a hundred 
battles — who had witnessed death in all its horrors — 
who had seen his brave soldiers reduced to that con- 
dition when they were obliged to eat the leather of 
their cartridge-boxes, and their feet impress the earth 
with crimson as they marched over the frozen ground 
— who could look upon all these without emotion as 
a soldier — could not avoid, shedding tears at this ap- 
propriate tribute of respect. That day should be held 
as a day worthy of annual commemoration by the 
ladies of Trenton. It is one of the sacred occasions 
in the history of New Jersey, and of the country. 



370 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 



CHAPTER XLII. 

THE BIBLE IN 1776. 

"Blessed Book, 
On every leaf stamped witli the seal of 
Higli Divinity — on every page bedewed 
With drops of Love Divine." 

YisiTOKS to Independence Hall, as tliey advance 
toward the statue of Gen. George Washington, may 
observe on their right, a beautifully bound volume of 
the Holy Bible, carefully preserved under a glass case. 
What a contrast is presented in this copy of the 
Sacred Scriptures to those manufactured in this 
country in '' olden time." and Avhat pleasant associa- 
tions take possession of the reflective mind, while 
gazing upon the copy in this consecrated room! Oar 
thoughts go back to the earlier, if not better days of 
our country, when the Fathers of the Eepublic did 
not hesitate to enlist the sympathies, and bring to bear 
the whole power of the Federal Government for the 
circulation of this divinely inspired volume. We can 
realize how deeply the civil calamities of 1776 inspired 
the people of the United States with a profound reli- 
gious reverence, and with a firm reliance upon Provi- 
dence to protect them from the horrors of a protracted 
war — how that then there was not only a prayerful 
disposition all over the land, but a particular desire 



ITS HISTOEY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 371 

to spread the Bible far and wide. The patriots and 
the heroes of that period had taken the Holy Bible 
as the fundamental basis of their action, and, upon 
that rock, they resolved to rear a tabernacle of repub- 
lican government against which the rains and storms 
of monarchical despotism might descend and beat 
without effect. The grand result of their experiment 
is known to the world. With the word of God as 
their compass and polar star, they set themselves 
earnestly to work. They saw their course lay through 
fiery ordeals and serried ranks of embattled hosts — 
but they hieiv that the establishment of Christianity 
and spiritual liberty cost the price of Christ's cruci- 
fixion on Calvary, and they hesitated not at the con- 
sequences that would ultimate from the vigorous 
resolutions they had taken. These things come upon 
us in our moments of serious reflections, and we re- 
member that, on the 11th of September, 1777, in the 
Congress then sitting in this very room, a petition 
from Dr. Allison and others, to secure a better and a 
wider circulation of the Bible, was taken from the 
table and referred to a special committee. The very 
same day the committee returned the subjoined report : 

'' That they have conferred fully with the printers, 
etc., in this city, and are of the opinion that the proper 
types for printing the Bible are not to be had in this 
country, and that the paper cannot be procured but 
with such difficulties, and subject to such casualties, 
as to render any dependence on it altogether improper ; 
that to import types for the purpose of setting up an 
entire edition of the Bible, and to strike off 30,000 
copies, with paper, binding, etc., will cost £10,272 IO5., 
which must be advanced by Congress, to be reimbursed 
by the sale of the books ; that, in the opinion of the 



872 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

committee, considerable difficulties Avill attend the 
procuring the types and paper; that, afterward, the 
risk of importing them will considerably enhance the 
cost ; and that the calculations are subject to such un- 
certainty in the present state of affairs, that Congress 
cannot much rely on them ; that the use of the Bible 
is so universal, and its importance so great, that your 
committee refer the above to the consideration of 
Congress, and if Congress shall not think it expedient 
to order the importation of types and paper, the com- 
mittee recommend that Congress will order the Com- 
mittee of Commerce to import 20,000 Bibles from 
Holland, Scotland, or elsewhere, into the different 
ports of the States of the Union." 

This report was favorably received, but Congress 
did not deem it advisable to order the types and paper 
at such a cost, accepting, however, the recommenda- 
tion that the '^ Committee of Commerce" import 
20,000 Bibles, by the following vote : 

Ayes.— Mr. Folsom, Mr. Frost, Mr. S. Adams, Mr. 
J. Adams, Mr. Gerry, Mr. Lovell, Mr. Merchant, Mr. 
Dyer, Mr. Law, Mr. Williams, Mr. Witherspoon, Mr. 
Clark, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Eoberdeau, Mr. Harrison, Mr. 
E. L. Lee, Mr. Laurens, Mr. Brownson — 18. 

Nays. — Mr. Duane, Mr. Eeed, Mr. Jones, Mr. Harn- 
ett, Mr. Middleton, Mr. Heyward— 6. 

By reference to the Eeport of the Bible Society 
for 1844, Appendix, 'page 93, we find that the next 
national act in regard to the Bible was made in 1781. 
It is said that in consequence of the interruption of 
the intercourse with Great Britain during the Eevolu- 
tionary war, it was found that there was a general 
scarcitv of Bibles throug^h the colonies. Mr. Eobert 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 373 

Aitken, of Philadelphia, a very respectable printer, 
proposed to certahi members of Congress in 1801 to 
publish an edition of the sacred volume, if he could 
have the approbation and patronage of that venera- 
ble body. The enterprise, in a pecuniary view, was 
deemed one of much hazard. The National Govern- 
ment promptly adopted measures for its encourage- 
ment, and the work was accomplished. A copy was 
presented to the committee of Congress who had the 
subject in charge, and of whom the Hon. James Duane 
was Chairman, who referred it to their chaplains, the 
Eevs. Messrs. William White and George Dufiield, 
for a careful revision. They reported : 

'^ We have paid attention to Mr. Eobert Aitken 's 
impression of the Old and New Testaments, and are 
of opinion that it is executed with accuracy as to the 
sense, and with as few grammatical and typographical 
errors as could be expected in a work of such mag- 
nitude. Being ourselves witnesses of the demand for 
this invaluable book, we rejoice in the prospect of a 
supply ; hoping that it will prove advantageous as it 
is honorable to the gentleman who has exerted him- 
self to furnish it at the evident risk of private fortune." 

So well did the execution of the work suit those 
who had exerted an interest in it, that Congress unani- 
mously adopted the following resolution : 

'■'Resolved, That the United States in Congress 
assembled, highly approve of the pious and laudable 
undertaking^ of Mr. Aitken, as subservient to the inter- 
ests of religion, as well as an instance of the progress 
of arts in this country ; and being satisfied from the 
above report, of his care and accuracy in the execution 
of the work, they recommend this edition of the Bible 
32 



374 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

to the inhabitants of the United States, and hereby 
authorize him to publish this recommendation in the 
manner he shall think proper. 

" Chaeles Thompson, Secretary.'" 

Thus it will be seen that the founders of our Gov- 
ernment based its institutions upon the teachings of 
divine inspiration. They realized their dependence 
upon the God of Nations, and felt it an imperative 
duty to aid, individually and congressionally, the cir- 
culation of the Sacred Scriptures. Why is it that 
some Christian publisher does not present to Indepen- 
dence Hall a copy of the Sacred Book ? Ought they 
not to feel sufficient interest in this holy fane to provide 
it with all the various editions of the Bible that were 
ever published in this country ? We have seen one 
in Boston which ought to have a place among the 
sacred relics here. It is a literary curiosity, and is 
known as '■ Elliot's Indian Bible." It is in quarto 
form, and was printed in 1635. The quality of the 
paper is very poor, the type uneven and unsightly. 
That of the title page seems to have been cut especially 
for the occasion with a pen-knife. It is bound in 
sheep-skin, with heavy ribs upon the back. The 
illuminations in the beginning are extremely rude, 
and the lines are bent aiid broken. The title reads 
thus: 

" Mamusse wunneetu panatamwe 
Up Biblum God 
Naneeswe Nukkone Testament kah wonk wuskee 
Testament. ISTe quoshkinnumuk nashpe Wuttin- 
neaumoh Christ noh asoowesit, John Elliot. Nah- 
obtoeu ontchetoe Printenoomuk. Cambridge. Printe- 
noop nashpe Samuel Green. 1685." 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 375 

This Bible is written in the Nipmuch language, a 
tribe of Indians which lived in Connecticut. The 
Old Testament contains 680 pages, and is said to have 
been written with a single pen. It has a very few 
marginal notes and references, and the titles of the 
chapters are given in English. The language abounds 
in long, harsh, and guttural words — m and n occur as 
frequently as in the Latin. This copy contains the 
Old and New Testaments, as well as the Psalms of 
David rendered into Indian verse. The Psalms are 
translated into that form of verse which is termed in 
our hymn books "common metre;" and they are 
exceedingly clumsy. Sternhold and Hopkins may be 
read with pleasure after perusing a few stanzas like 
the subjoined, which are from the 19th Psalm — " The 
heavens declare the glory of God," etc. : 

1. "Kesnk kukootomnliteanmoo 
God wussolisumoouk 
Mamalichekesuk wunnalituhkon 
Wiitanakausnonk 

^' Holisekoen kesukodtasli 
Kuttoo waantamonk 
Kali liohsekoe nukoiiasli 
Keketookon waliteanonk !" 



The longest word which can be found in this Bible 
is in Mark 1, 40 : Wutteppesittuhqussunnoowehtunkquoh^ 
and signifies kneeling down to him. Whenever the ob- 
ject whose name was to be translated was unknown 
to the Indians, Elliot uses the English word either 
alone or with the Indian case or tense endings 
appended, so that such words as the following are con- 
stantly occurring — " chazioiasli,^^ " cheruhimloli,''^ apos- 
tlesofj,'' ''silver,'" "gold,'" ''lemjykf ''luine,'" '' car imiier soli,'" 



876 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

" masonoh,^^ and tlie like. In translating Judges v. 28 
— "The motlier of Sisera looked ont at a window and 
cried through (he lattice,^^ — he asked the Indians for the 
Avord "lattice," and found that he had written, " «?2c^ 
cried through an eel-pot,''^ that being the only object 
which the natives knew as corresponding with the 
object Mr. Elliot described to them. The diiference 
between this Bible and the fine editions which are now 
issued, in a typographical point of view, appears 
almost as great as that between the rude " wigAvams" 
of the poor Indians, and those elegant, commodious 
palaces which now occupy the site of them. Here, 
then, in Independence Hall, this valuable relic of the 
past should be placed. Not so much from its intrinsic 
worth as a specimen of early typography, but to 
preserve the instruments by which our ancestors sub- 
dued the hearts of savages, and secured this land for 
the birthplace of freedom and independence. They 
relied upon the word of Divine Eevelation — 

" The author, God himself; 
The subject, God and man, salvation, life 
And death — eternal life, eternal death." 

And with that book in one hand, and an axe in tlie 
other, they went boldly forward in preparing the way 
for the blessings we are now enjoying. 

"Let Independence be our boast 
Ever mindful what it cost." 



ITS HISTORY ANP ASSOCIATIONS. 377 



CHAPTER XLIII. 

THE CHAETER OAK. 

"A song for tlie Oak, tlie brave old Oak, 
That lias ruled in the greenwood long." 

As one of the interesting relics now in Independence 
Hall, a piece of the great Charter Oak, at Hartford, 
Connecticut, deserves especial notice. This tree was 
blown down in a heavy storm on the 21st of August, 
1856, and the people of that State " mourned as though 
a friend had fallen." A short sketch of its history is 
germain to our task ; for, as Mr. Desmond says, dearer 
to posterity and to history, that mother of experience 
and nurse of truth, are the memories connected with 
that relic of the past, than those which are recalled by 
the royal oak which concealed the fugitive Stuart, 
Charles II., the bestower of the charter of the colony, 
or than those with which Shakspeare has immortally 
made green the haunted tree of Heme the Hunter in 
Windsor Forest. In the memories of men, the old 
Charter Oak has preserved the record of the invincible 
courage and inflexible firmness of those patriots who, 
with a high sense of public duty, stood in the hour 
of peril 

" With hearts resolved, and hands prepared. 
The blessings they enjoyed to guard." 

This celebrated relic of the original forests of New 
England, the Charter Oak of the city of Hartford, in 
32^ 



878 INDEPENUENCE HALL : 

the State of Connecticut, stood on the northern de- 
clivity of the rising ground on which was situated the 
ancient mansion house of the Wyllis family, and on 
his estate, now in possession of lion. Isaac W. StcAvart, 
Long before the empire of Montezuma was overthrown 
by Cortez and his Spaniards, ere Columbus knelt on 
the shore of the newly-discovered country, it spread its 
green honors thick about it, and the red man held his 
council beneath its embowering shade ; generations 
passed away, yet still it appeared unimpaired in its 
vigor, undecayed by time, which destroys mighty 
empires within the years which must elapse befoie 
this monument could have reached its maturity. The 
charter for the colony of Connecticut arrived in Hart- 
ford in the month of September, 1662 ; it was publicly 
read to the people, who displayed their sense of the 
favor with gratitude and rejoicing, appointing a com- 
mittee to take charge of it, under the solemnities of an 
oath, to preserve this palladium of their rights and 
privileges. It was the organic law of Connecticut 
till the present constitution took its place in 1818. 
The Assembly met, as usual, in October, 1687, and the 
government continued according to charter until the 
last of the month, when Sir Edmund Andros, the 
Governor of New England, came to Hartford and 
demanded the charter. He came with his suit and 
more than sixty regular troops, and declared the gov- 
ernment dissolved. The Legislature being in session, 
a debate on that demand ensued. The assembly were 
extremely reluctant and slow with respect to any reso- 
lution involving the surrender of the charter or any 
motion to bring it forth. The tradition is, that Gov- 
ernor Treat strongly represented the great expenses 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 379 

and hardships of the colonists in planting the colony^ 
the blood and treasure which they liad expended in 
defending it, both against the savages — the red men 
of the forests of New Enoiand — and forei2;ners ; to 
what hardships and perils he had himself been exposed 
for that purpose, and that it was like giving up his 
life to surrender the patent and privileges so dearly 
bought, and so long enjoyed. The calm dignity and 
firmness of this Hampden of the Assembly, made an 
impression on the hearers which, prolonged the debate 
until evening, and kept them in suspense. The charter 
was at length brought out, and laid upon the table 
where the Assembly were sitting. By this time great 
numbers of deeply interested people were met, and 
there were patriots sufficiently bold among them to 
enterprise whatever might be necessary or expedient. 
The lights were at once extinguished, and Captain 
Wadsworth, one of the members from Hartford, in 
the most silent and secret manner — as Prince Henry 
removed the crown from liis sleeping father's couch — 
seized and carried off the charter, and secreted it in the 
large liollow tree fronting the house of the Honorable 
Samuel Wyllis, then one of the magistrates of the 
colon}^ The people appeared all peaceable and orderly, 
with a demeanor which is not rare on those great 
occasions. The candles were relighted, but the patent 
was gone, and no discovery could be made of it, or of 
the person who conveyed it away. Sir Edmund 
assumed the government, and the records of the colony 
were closed at a general court held at Hartford. On 
the abdication of James, in 1689, and on the 9th of 
May of that year. Gov. Treat and his associate officers 
resumed the government of Connecticut, the charter 



380 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

having been restored to the colonial executive, and is 
still preserved in the archives of that State. The tree 
measured on the ground, in 1823, thirty-six feet in 
circumference. The hollow in its trunk formerly 
visible, was closed, " because," remarked a daughter 
of the late secretary, Wyllis, ''it had fulfilled the 
divine purpose for which it had been opened — to re- 
ceive the Charter of Connecticut." Several years ago 
some boys built a fire in the hollow of the tree, which 
burned out the punk, but it survived, and fresh sprouts 
sprung out the next Spring. At this time the recess 
was so large that a fire company of twenty- seven full- 
grown men stood up in it together. The tree appeared 
to have lost its upper trunk, as it was not so high as 
many oaks of more recent growth. The form of the 
tree was, however, extremely elegant, and its foliage 
remarkably rich and exuberant. About four or five 
feet from the ground (according to the Historical Col- 
lections edited by Mr. J. B. Moore, and published at 
Concord twenty-three years ago) an enlargement of 
the trunk commenced, and gradually increased until 
it met its surface, which caused its enormous size when 
measured on the ground. The pilgrims to the fallen 
shrine are innumerable, and bring away with them 
such relics as Mr. Stewart permits. At the celebra- 
tion of the landing of the Pilgrims, at Plymouth, the 
old Charter Oak was never forgotten. 

This piece of the Charter Oak was presented to 
Independence Hall, b}^ J. W. Stewart. And, as we 
gaze upon it, we realize what an important part the 
parent from which it was taken performed in perpet- 
uating the liberties and rights of a sister State. Since 
its fall many keepsa.kes and national tokens have been 
manufactured out of its branches, trunk, etc., in order 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 381 

that tliey might be preserved as sacred relics of the 
early days of the State of Connecticut. A grateful 
posterity should carefully guard these mementoes. 
The Hartford Times once spoke as follows concerning 
this famous tree : " All of our citizens venerate the 
Charter Oak, the grand old tree that so completely 
shielded the written Charter, which continued to be 
our organic law till 1818. In song and story, the old 
Oak is made famous, and thousands of strangers from 
abroad annually visit it. The tree stands upon the 
Wyllys Place, now owned and occupied by the Hon. 
J. W. Stuart, who has kindly cared for it. A few 
years since some boys kindled a fire within its trunk, 
which burned out most of the rotten parts of it. Mr. 
S. soon discovered the fire, and at once had it put out. 
He then, at considerable expense, had the hollow en- 
closed by a door, with lock and key. He also had the 
stumps of branches that had been broken ofij covered 
with tin and painted. The tree, from this time, seemed 
to be imbued with new life, each succeeding Spring- 
dressing itself in a richer and denser foliage. On the 
22d inst., the New Haven Fire Company, who came 
up to join their brethren in Hartford on the occasion 
of their annual muster, visited the famous Oak. They 
were of course kindly received by Mr. Stewart. To 
show them the capacity of the tree, he invited the 
firemen to enter the hollow trunk, when twenty -four 
of the men belonging to Captain McGregor's company, 
(Neptune, No. 5,) entered together. They came out, 
and twenty-eight of Capt. Thomas's Company, (Wash- 
ington, No. 7,) then entered. By placing twenty-eight 
full-grown men in an ordinary room of a dwelling, 
one may judge of the great size of the famous old 
'Charter Oak.'" 



382 INDEPENDENCE HALL 



CHAPTER XLIV. 

OLD DOCUMENTS. 

" Those old and sacred relics are still precious." 

ROGER SHERMAN'S LETTERS. 

The following letters were written by Roger Sher- 
man, nephew of the able representative in Congress, 
and signer of the Declaration of Independence, in 
1776, to Benjamin P. Sherman. They are well 
worthy of a place in this volume, and are correct 
transcripts of the originals in Independence Hall : 

New Haven, June 9, 1855. 
The first time I saw Washington was in I^ew 
Haven, in passing from New York to Boston. He 
stopped over the Sabbath at a public inn kept by Mr. 
Isaac, one of the most responsible inhabitants. The 
house stood on the corner where the " New Haven 
House," now a public-house, is located. In the after- 
noon he came to my father's, and passing about an 
hour with the family, we all went to meeting. Tiie 
general accompanied us, and sat in our pew with 
tather and the family. I again saw him in New York ; 
and after he became President of the United States, 
I saw him in Philadelphia, at the " Levee of Mrs. 
Washington." I was introduced and conducted by 
his secretary, and after paying my respects to Mrs. 
AVashington, I mingled with the crowd, when I was 
met by the President and conversed with him for a 
few moments. He was very particular in his attention 



ITS HISTOKY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 883 

to every stranger. He associated with the crowd, like 
other individuals, without ceremony, very much like 
the meeting at the Merchants' Excliange. 

Roger Sherman. 

New Haven, June 9th, 1855. 
Benj'n p. Sherman.— Z>ea?- Son : 

Earl was employed b}^ Mr. Bishop Atling of New 
Haven, soon after the Declaration of Independence, 
to talvc the portraits of all those who signed that in- 
strument. This design was not completed. After 
taking a number, of which that of your grandfather, 
Roger Sherman, was one, the plan was abandoned. 
This portrait was many years afterward sent to New 
Haven, without any directions, and delivered to Presi- 
dent Stiles. On removing a part of the case in which 
it was enclosed, President Stiles instantly recognized 
the likeness, and sent it to your grandmother. From 
this portrait the small engravings and several large 
pictures have been taken. Sarah, the wife of Samuel 
Hoar, of Concord, Massachusetts, my youngest sister, 
and myself, are the only survivors of my father's chil- 
dren. Should my life be spared, on the 16th day of 
July next I shall be eighty-seven years old. 

Affectionately yours, 

Roger Sherman. 



WASHINGTON'S CARD TO JOHN BROOKS, 

Of Massachusetts, Colonel in the Continental Army, 
afterward Governor of that State : 

"The President presents his compliments to 
Col'n Brooks, 
and begs the Favor of his Company at Dinner on 
Wednesday next, at Four o'clock." 

This card was presented to " Independence Hall," 
by David Kimball, Esq., of Boston, August 10, 1857. 



384 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

DECATUR'S COMMISSION. 

Phil'a, June hill, 1780. 
I do hereby certify that a Commission hath issued 
to Captain Stephen Decatur for the Privateer Brig 
Fair American, mounting sixteen carriage guns, navi- 
gated by one hundred and thirty men, of the burthen 
of one hundred and fifty tons, belonging to Charles 
Miller k Company, and bearing date the twentieth 
day of April last. 

W. Matlack, 8ec'y. 

WASHINGTON'S INVITATION CARD. 

The following is the " Invitation Card" of George 
Washington to his guests. It is printed in very 
antique style, but carefully preserved in Independence 
Hall. The card is taken from the original eno^raved 
copy -plate of General Washington, used by him for 
cards of invitation during his presidency. It was 
presented to the City Councils of Philadelphia, June 
23, 1855, by William Can. 

''The President of the United States and Mrs. Wash- 
ington, request the pleasure of Company to dine 

on ■ next, at o'clock 

''■ 179 . An answer is requested." 

WASHINGTON'S BENCH. 

Elsewhere we have given an extended account of 
the bench with the above inscription : but the sub- 
joined historical paragraph will also be interesting: 

In 1835 the interior of that ancient edifice, Christ 
Church, was about to be modernized. The family 
pew of General George Washington was presented to 
Ebenezer Mustin under a promise that a chair or 
settee should be made therefrom, and preserved as a 
relic. The bench was therefore made, and placed in 
Indejtcndence Hall. 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 385 



CHAPTER XLY. 

WASHINGTON WOVEl 
OTHER INTERESTING MEMENTOES. 

" Such sacred things claim a portion of our attention." 

One of tlie curiosities in Independence Hall, whicli 
attracts universal admiration, is a portrait of General 
Washington, woven in silk, on the Jacquard loom at 
Lyons, France, and presented to the City of Philadel- 
p»hia by Messrs. Ponson, Phillippe k Vibert, who 
manufactured it. The following is the correspondence 
in reference thereto : 

( Clerk's Office, Select Council. 
I City of Phil'a, Sej^t. 17, 1855. 
The following is an extract from the Journal of the 
Select Council of the city of Philadelphia, of Sep't 
13, 1855, page 271. 

The Clerk of the Mayor being introduced, presented 
the folio win o; messao^e in writing^ : 

Mayor's Office, Se2)t. 13, 1855. 
To the Select Council : 

Gentlemen : — I have the honor herewith to trans- 
mit a portrait of Washington, executed on the 
Jacquard loom, in Lyons, France, and presented by 
the manufacturers, Messrs. Ponson, Phillippe & Yiberfc, 
to the Mayor and Councils of Philadelphia. Also, a 
communication from Charles S. J. Goodrich, Esq., 
33 



386 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

U. S. Consul at LyonS; through whom the portrait 
is presented. EespectfuU}^, 

R. T. CONKAD, Mayor. 

j Consulate U. S. of America, 
\ Lyons, Fkance. 

Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen: — Two years ago, 
by a singular coincidence, while one class of our 
artisans in France were preparing implements of war 
for the East, a portion of another class were prepar- 
ing a memorial of peace for the West. In the silk 
goods manufactory of Messrs. Ponson, Phillippe & 
Vibert, of this city, a set of artisans were weaving in 
silk, for our three great cities, the portrait of him who 
was "first in war and first in peace," our Washington. 
That elaborate work of art has just been finished, 
Messrs. Ponson, Phillippe, & Yibert, who are among 
the most eminent, enterprising, and successful of the 
merchants of Lyons, procured, as a guide for their 
artists, an eno-ravino- life-size, from our own Stuart's 
painting of AVashington, now owned by the Boston 
Athenaeum; and their Avorkmen, as the result of two 
years' employment thereupon, have procured as faith- 
ful a portraiture of the lineaments of the face of that 
great and good man, as at once to evince their unsur- 
passed skill, and at the same time exhibit the perfection 
to which this department of art, originating in the 
genius of Jacquard, has been brought in this city of 
his birth, life, and death. Messrs. Ponson k Co., fiatter- 
ing themselves that this first silk- wrought portrait of 
the "Father of his country" — the specimen of the art 
witli an American subject — will be justly appreciated 
by the countrymen of that great man, have resolved to 
dedicate it, multiplied for that purpose, to the three 
chief commercial cities of the Union — New York, 
Philadelphia, and Boston — and have charged me, in 
their names, to present it to the constituted authorities 
thereof, trusting that it may not be deemed unworthy 
of a place among the mementoes of that country's 



ITS IIISTOHY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 887 

greatness, to wliicli the immortal subject of the picture 
so largely contributed. Your honorable body will 
please accept the gift of the libereil donors, through 
your obedient servant and fellow-citizen, 

CiiAS. S. J. Goodrich, tf. S. Coihml. 

Which was read and laid on the table, when Mr. 
Perkins offered the following: 

Resolved. That the likeness of Washington, woven 
in silk, this day presented to the Councils of the city 
of Philadelphia, through his honor the Mayor, from 
Messrs. Ponson, Phillippe, & Yibert, of Lyons, France, 
be accepted, and placed in the "Hall of Independence," 
and that the Mayor be requested to communicate to 
Messrs. Ponson, Phillippe, & Vibert, the high appre- 
ciation Councils entertain for that enlarged good feeling 
and courtesy which prompted them in making their 
very acceptable offering; and to assure them it shall 
be carefully preserved, not only as a memento of him 
whose memory is ever '^ first in the hearts of his 
countrvmen," but also as illustrative of the perfection 
to which they have brought their time-honored art, as 
rivaling the pencil in the truthfulness and beauty of 
its delineations. 

Which was twice read, considered, and unanimously 
adopted. 

Attest: Joseph Wood, Jk., Clerk of Select Council. 

PHOTOaRAPHIC PORTRAITS. 

Near this admirably wrought portrait is a photo- 
graph of the original miniature, taken from life, of 
George Washington, by Archibald Eobertson, in 
January, 1792. The original was, at the time this 
photograph was taken, in possession of his grand- 
daughter, Matilda Eobertson, of New York. It was 
presented to Independence Hall, by Jno. W. C. Moore. 



388 INDEPENDENCE HALL: 

There is also another of Martha Washington, taken at 
the same time, and presented by the same person. 
They are striking illustrations of the original minia- 
tures, and are worthy of being preserved here. 

ORIGINAL CHARTER OF PHILADELPHIA. 

There is a photograph copy of the original Charter 
of Philadelphia, carefully taken and preserved, but 
it can scarcely be read, in consequence of many of the 
words and sentences being illegible. Probably their 
antiquity has rendered the paper upon which it was 
engrossed somewhat decayed. However, what does 
remain of it, is suggestive of many incidents recorded 
in the preliminary chapter of this work. 

On the south side of the room, is a very chastely 
wrought frame, bearing the insignia of the " Corpora- 
tion of Philadelphia." It is cut from solid Parian 
marble, and bears the arms of the city. Over this 
hovers an eagle with outstretched wing, holding an 
Olive branch in one talon, and a quiver of arrows in 
the other. In its beak is the motto : " Declaration of 
Independence, PhiVa, July 4, 1776." 

There are numerous other interesting relics which 
have almost lost their identity, and to the stranger 
their histories are unknown. Such is the case with 
the Chair in which John Hancock sat when he signed 
the " Declaration of Independence," and thus bade 
defiance to the imperious authority of despotism. 
This chair stands upon the left, in front of "Washing- 
ton's statue, as it is approached from the door ; and, 
on the right, stands the one which was occupied by 
Mr. Thompson, when he engrossed the " Declaration 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 389 

of Independence." These ought to be properly labeled, 
in order to point out to visitors which were respectively- 
occupied by the individuals referred to. 

Suspended from the centre of the room is the same 
Chandelier that was hung there when the hall was first 
built, in all its beauty ; the only change that has been 
made in it, has been to insert gas into it, in the place 
of candles, as was originally the case. In other re- 
spects it is the same as when it shed its light upon the 
more than Amphyctionic Council that met there dur- 
ing the stormy debates of our early struggles for 
freedom. 

There is also a piece of the step on which Mr. 
Thompson, the Secretary, stood when he read the 
Declaration of Independence. 

Such are the sacred relics which have thrilled our 
thoughts with their impressive Associations, and filled 
our hearts with patriotic emotions. Carefully should 
they be preserved. 
83" 



390 INDEPENDENCE HALL 



CHAPTER XLYI. 



CONCLUSION. 



Oil, wlio can gaze upon the relics here, 

And not their sacred memories revere ? 

Who can behold the figures of our sires. 

And not be touched with Freedom's hallowed fires ? 

Jj3i$iaijtaiit, events --]iaYa.^takeji,..,place,_jia^---¥ea^ 
0iy^^^lJc^^j^ggBlmB^ we have expenej^ecl^\\^nejtxa^^ 

tory and associations connected wiili--Ifi4Ufie,iidence 

JQjalL^ The learned and "sensitive of all nations pay 
reverence to the memory of Rome, for they know that 
in that city the arts and sciences were carried to great 
perfection, and wisdom radiated its influences over the 
world. They feel as though they were treading the 
Appian avenue 

''Of monuments most glorious, palaces. 
Their doors sealed up and silent as the night, 
The dwellings of the illustrious dead." 

They may still look out toward the Tiber, and see its 
classic waters glide gently on — they can also fancy 
Horace on his uncouth mule, as he perambulated the 
streets — in imagination they climb the Palatine with 
old Evander, where Virgil read aloud his thrilling 
verses, until " his voice faltered and a mother shed tears 
of delight." All these, with a thousand other recol- 
lections, come vividly to their minds, and they invol- 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 391 

untarily exclaim: " We are in Borne T'' Yes — they 
know, that 

"Here Cincinnatus pass'd, liis plow the wliile v'^L 

Left in the furrow, and how many more, /^ .^ , , 

Whose laurels fade not, who still walk the earth, ^^"'"^ ^*- 
Consuls, Dictators, still in curule pomp K_- .' 

Sit and decide ; and, as of old in Rome '" 

Name but their names, set every heart on fire !" 

^^JBut . liere, in Old Independence... Hall, jwljsxe^^r^^ 
__yictories than the world ever before realizedj were 

achieved, the thoughtful patriot may think jiDwn ages. 

Here his eye falls not upon tinselled trappings of 
imperial courts and liveried minions of despotic ro3^alty 
— he gazes not upon the trained retinues attending 
sovereign authority — he beholds no mockery of justice 
by the pride and insolence of power. He realizes him- 
_self standing in the Holy Temple of Freedom jjvyliere _ 
human nghis ,wqi£; promu^igaKTTSjCIIIHa;!^ uncom- '^^'^ 
pLOinising integrity _qrii dpr^.i^sirvn oLj^vrpog/^ — where 
the first successful i n T pM^ whh ^iveii to tha..es.tabli^^^ 
nijent -of _ ciyil-iiherLy^and religious toleration. And 
his mind goes back, ''to days long past," and busies 
itself with other times, 

" — As in memory's hark we glide 

To visit the scenes of our boyhood anew, 
Though oft we may see, looking down on the tide, 

The wreck of full many a hope shining through, 
Yet still as in fancy we point to the flowers. 

That once made a garden of all the gay shore, 
Deceived for a moment, we'll think them still ours. 

And breathe the fresh air of life's morning once more.'' 

Yes — here, in this consecrated rooTo, we can realize 
more than at Eome. We can fancy that the heroes 



392 INDEPENDEN'CB HALL: 

of the past are before us, in all their imperial sovereign- 
ty and resolution— and rejoice that our country is 
America! Oh, how deep a spell tliat little word 
contains ! Its mention strikes terror to the hearts of 
European despots. Its remembrance acts as a soothing- 
balm to the weary laborer, the manacled slave, the 
exiled patriot of the Old World. Some one has said, 
and the language is germain here, that all true lovers 
of freedom looiv forward to the day when the homes 
of their childhood, the land of their birth, will follow 
in the wake of the guiding constellation of the West 
— than which, since the creation of the world, never 
did benignant Heaven smile on a more brilliant galaxy. 
Three quarters of a century have elapsed since our 
country became an independent nation. What has 
enabled her to obtain this proud pre-eminence among 
her sister nations ? It is the foresight witli which she 
laid the foundations of her government. Her consti- 
tution, like the altar of a Druidic Temple, may be 
caused to vibrate by the hand of a child, yet it is so 
finely equipoised that, though the waves of fanatic 
rage and fury beat upon it, they beat in vain. These 
only recoil on the heads of those who lash them on — 
and may it so continue forever. Yet, at this very 
moment, there are those who believe in the " divine 
right of kings," who delight to sneer at our govern- 
ment, and would rejoice in the failure of our experi- 
ment, if such ft thing were possible, so that they might 
proclaim to those countries of the East that aspire to 
follow the example set them, " man's incapacity for 
self-government." From 1776 until the present time^ 
our beloved country has gloried in a name revered by 
her friends and respected by her enemies. From the 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 893 

shores of the Pacific to tliose of the Atlaiitic -from tlie 
chain of Lal^es to the Eio Grande and Gulf, her beauti- 
ful valleys, her extensive plains and western prairies, 
teem with the fruits of industry and enterprise. Her 
flag, " The Star Spangled Banner,"' floats in every 
breeze, and her Eagle overshadows with his protecting 
wings her citizens, in whatever clime they roam — her 
commerce whitens every sea with its unsullied canvas ; 
and 

"No longer Britain rules the wide domain." 

America ! — what charms cluster around thine honored 
name. America ! exclaims the Poet— 

" I love thy rocks and rills, 
Thy woods and templed hills, 
My soul with rapture fills, 
At thy blessed name." 

In what does our country compare with other nations ? 
Wherein consists Britain's self-assumed superiority ? 
Does she boast her ancient castles, with their hoary 
walls verdant with creeping ivy ? Her w^orks of dear- 
bought grandeur ? The seniority of her architectural 
ruins? We can point to our stentorian Niagara; 
our craggy Natural Bridge; our colossal Mammoth 
Cave ! These far excel any work of art — they are the 
workmanship of the great Divine Architect of the Uni- 
verse, and of an antiquity coeval to that when Great 
Britain lay submerged beneath the waves. Does the 
Old World pride lierself on her magnificent gardens 
— her Alpine scenery — her Italian sunset? America 
points to the magnificence of her peerless autumnal 
forests — her landscapes of transcendent beauty — her 
trackless pleasure grounds of the broad prairies. Her 



80-i INDEPENDENCE HALL : 

rivci-s for size and length far excel tliosc of the Eastern 
continent. AVbere are those that can compare with 
her Mississippi, her queenly Amazon, her far-famed 
Hudson ? In every feature of her topography, she 
excels any other countr}^ This is why we love our 
Native Land. Civilized or savage, man feels the same 
strong, unalterable devotion to the soil and clime 
which gave him birth, and though it may be in the 
icy North, or amid the sands of the Tropics, he clings 
to it as the kindest and brightest spot on earth. No 
time nor distance can effiice tlie impression ; and 
whether he be through life a dweller in the place of 
liis nativity, or from infancy an exile or wanderer in 
strange climes, his heart will j^earn toward and long 
for his native land. The sentiment is as universal as 
the human race. Other lands than our own may lure 
us with their bright skies and varied scenes for a time ; 
we may eat the bread and drink the waters or wines 
of foreign climes, and be merry even in the house of 
the stranger ; but, when the novelty of change is past, 
and the banquet of excitement palls, the memory of 
the first home-hearth breaks in upon the heart with 
a light mellow and rich as the glow of the setting- 
summer sun. God has written this holy love in the 
heart of man for wise and beautiful purposes. With- 
out it man would be a rover and a robber, having 
neither society, civilization, government, nor country. 
To-day he would pitch his tent and dig a grave in the 
desert — to-morrow his home would be in the Avilder- 
ness. Wherever there was most to tempt the passions 
of his nature, thither would he go, building his hearth 
without care for the future, and leaving it without 
thought or regret for the past. To him, history, 



ITS HISTORY AND ASSOCIATIONS. 395 

associations, and old landmarks, would have no charms 
— like Cain, he would be an outcast and a wanderer 
in the earth. But there arc none such : every man 
feels irresistibly drawn toward his native land where- 
ever he may be. Toward that spot and the blessed 
scenes of his childhood he turns his eyes, as the Hebrew 
does toward the East, the Moslem toward his Mecca, 
and the Magian toward the Sun. It fills his clay vis- 
ions and his uight dreams — his prayers, his memories, 
and hi3 hopes. It makes him a patriot, a martyr, a 
friend, and a fellow-loving, civilized man. These are 
the feelings we have often ex]3erienced while meditat- 
ing in Independence Hall. All the past scenes and 
incidents in our country's history come vividly to our 
memory, and make us feel as though we were standing 
in a temple consecrated to Liberty, and sanctified by 
the heroic deeds of our ancestors. A deep and silent 
awe pervades this sanctuary of our freedom, and its 
impressive influences subdue the thoughts to reverence. 
Emotions Avhich cannot be suppressed take possession 
of the mind, and before we are conscious of the fact, 
we are lost in serious reflections. Heroes, philoso- 
phers, statesmen, soldiers, and Christians, come before 
our memory's eye, like the beautiful changes in an 
intricately wrought kaleidoscope. We can gaze upon 
the pictures here, and rejoice that efforts have been 
made to rescue the physiological features of some of 
those great men from oblivion. But, there is much 
yet to be accomplished. There should be a monument 
reared in Independence Square, in close proximity to 
this immortal room, by the free hands of a grateful 
posterity, that will appropriately commemorate the 
deeds of those heroes who bought the inheritance for 



896 INDEPENDENCE HALL: C^O^^p 

US. We say, however, as Pericles said to the Atheii 
ians : '^ Oh Americans, these dead bodies ash no mon- 
uments : their monument arose when they fell, and so 
long as Liberty has defenders, their names will be 
imperishable. But, it is ive who need a monument to 
their honor. We, who survive, not having yet proved ' 
that we, too, could die for our countr}^, and be im- 
mortal. We need a monument, that the Avidows and 
children of the dead, and all the shades of the departed, 
and all future ages may see and know that we honor 
patriotism, and virtue, and libe^^^tyj and txntli.; for, 
next to performing a great deed, and achieving a noble 
character, is to honor such character and deeds." 
y£iir^_iXLa3r.-xlmnge^i»a«y.„Qf_=ilifi . J^elia^.greseryed_m 
independence Hall, but oh, niay ..th^^^^^^-r 
aoS^iiesillgjpi — may this^^sanctified^ 



qujLliational pride never bo devoted to any other pur-. 
|)pse than that of ])ure patriotism^ ^lay it ever be 
preserved as the ]\Iocca of our land, where the great 
and the good from every qaartej' of our Q^g^!%n_coun- 
ti^may come and pay homage -^Ctlie place where 
Freedom was born and defended, and where they can 
look upon the figures of those who took part in the 
first great struggle for Independence. ^ ^^ 



